- The War of New and Old -
by Usanara-Dattebayo
Summary: Years after the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto comes across something that will change his life forever. When the Kyuubi suggest he use a Fuuinjutsu, it puts him in a situation he won't be able to escape from. Now with someone new by his side, Naruto has to prepare himself and his fellow companion for the war that looms overhead. Naru/Fem-Kyuubi/OC-Kitsune. A\U FULL SUMMERY INSIDE R&R!
1. The Long Road Home

_****Enjoy and please review; it's the only way I can improve on my writing!****_

**SUMMERY**: Years after the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto comes across a situation that will change his life forever. When he listens to the Kyuubi's suggestion, it puts Naruto in a situation he won't be able to escape from. Now with someone new by his side, he has to prepare himself and his fellow companion for the newest threat to jeopardize the world. What does this organization strive for when all they do is leave a trail of death and chaos? What could they truly be hiding and what does it have to do with the ruined temples of the past? With this threat to the peace that blankets the land; how will the ninjas of the Joint Shinobi Army react to an attack on what they all stood for in the last war? Fallow as Naruto and the other ninja try to piece together what they are truly up against before it's too late…

**DISCLAIMER**: _**I don't own Naruto!**_ If I did, I wouldn't have such a dead-end job. What a drag…

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

**(Chapter 1)**

**-The Long Road Home-**

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

A mysterious figure wrapped in a black traveler's cloak kept a modest pace on a dirt path snaking its way through thick woodlands. As he grew closer and closer to the Fire Country's border, a light touch of water hit the individual's brow and ran down his face. Looking up to the clouds, he watched as they opened up around him in a sudden down pour. Smiling, he quickly sought proper shelter until the rain had passed. Seeing a large over-hanging branch ahead, the unknown gentleman changed direction and headed for the dry shelter of the tree's canopy as fast as he could.

Lowering his hood, he appeared to be in his early 20's and had scruffs of facial hair poking out from his chin in a pathetic manner. Running his hand through his blond hair, he roughed it up from the flattened state it had taken on, and returned it to its natural spiky mess. It could be seen that Naruto had grown it out since his youth. His hair now came down to his shoulders and looked much like his father's. At times Naruto had contemplated about growing it even longer, like his late sensei's hair. Yet, he would always cast that thought aside, deciding he wouldn't like it getting in his way.

Looking up at the passing clouds, Naruto figured the rain was about to end, and started heading out once again. Decided to leave his hood off, he continued his journey towards Konoha. Grinning from the thoughts of home, he enjoyed the small sprinkles of rain that would hit his face from time to time. He found himself thinking of the woods around the village after it had rained back home. There was a certain tree Naruto had come accustomed to using. He would stay perch up in that tree for hours, usually lost in some Fuuinjutsu book that he had been studying at the time.

"It's a nice day out, huh, Kurama?" Naruto asked to the tenant within him. To anyone else, he seemed to just be deep in thought and talking to himself while walking. No one would imagine he'd be having a conversation with the most feared Fox Demon of all; The Kyuubi-no-Kitsune.

The Kyuubi just groaned as she never was as upbeat as her container**. "****How can you say it's a nice day while it's raining, ****baka?**** I figured you would rather there be sunshine."**

Naruto just grinned while placing a hand behind his head. "It's simple Kurama; I enjoy the simple smells of the forest after it's rained."** "****You never noticed till you had my sense of smell.****"**Kurama answered with slight annoyance in her voice. **"I don't know why I ever bothered giving you my full power." **

"That's simple; you were just too much of a sucker for me once I learned your name from Son Goku."

"**Damn that ape, always was one for opening his mouth."** She cursed openly to herself.

Content with rousing the fox, Naruto continued on his way home. Even though he may still act childish at times, he really had grown up a lot from his younger days. No longer would he rush into a situation without thinking, or at least, he tried his best not to anymore.

His attire had changed from his younger days as well; he got rid of his older outfit's full neon orange, instead choosing to tone down the use of his favorite color. As for now, his new uniform consisted of black ninja pants that came to his mid shin. Where the pants cut off, he then wrapped his exposed skin down to his heel and wore standard black ninja sandals, like he had worn in the past. Around his thighs, he had similar bandages underneath kunai packs that he had strapped to both legs. However they were not your average kunai packs. These had been altered to house both regular kunai and his father's triple kunai.

Being a Jonin now, he wore a flak jacket befitting his rank. However his was a unique dark bluish grey instead of the standard green of Konoha. Made for him by a fellow Uzumaki, he was proud to wear the same color's Uzushiogakure had once used with their Jonin. The vest had been customized for him, showing nine orange fox tails encircling the red swirl on his back. Shaped like small wisps of fire blowing in the wind, it emblemized him as the one who had tamed Kurama. Under Naruto's flak jacket, he wore a new shirt. Black and orange like his old uniform. The sleeves themselves were two parts, the top half black while orange finished off the long sleeves. Double red stripes ran up the sides of the shirt, while a single red line went from his collar to his elbow. Underneath his vest was a red hidden leaf symbol that finished off the look of his new shirt.

Even Naruto's traveler's cloak was unique to him, seeing as it was similar to the Akatsuki's cloaks in shape and not the tan cape most Konoha Shinobi used. It was hooded unlike the original high collars from the original design Akatsuki had used. There were no red clouds on the exterior of this cloak. Instead the infamous design had been moved to the inside of the shroud, as well as being changed to black and white clouds over a red background. The outside was now only black with a thick line in the same orange of his Jonin uniform down the edges of the robe. With the weather bleak during his mission, or in this case, the snowy mountains of Lighting Country giving him a chill this early in spring; he was glad he had this cloak to keep him warm.

Most of the time, if Naruto wore a jacket at all, he wore his Toad Sage trench coat just like his father's. Naruto's trench coat even looked much like the Yondaime Hokage's, but with some differences. The flames were black, while the rest of the jacket was a dark shade of red. Yellow with white outlined kanji symbols for 'The Sage of Sages' was across the back instead of the writing for the Yondaime Hokage. On his shoulders, he had wooden crests for both the Uzumaki Clan and Namikaze Clan tide into the sleeves while on the sides of jackets' raised collar the 'Abura' kanji symbol was emblazoned on its tips. It was the same symbol that Master Jiraiya once wore for oil years ago.

As Naruto continued on his way home, he thought back to when Tsunade had asked him to report for this mission. He was rather surprised he was being sent back out after being gone for so long. However, after what he had just gone through, he could understand why she had sent him.

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

**(Flash Back)**

Nearly a month ago, Naruto stood in front of the Hokage's desk, looking at the pictures of the previous Hokages. Regarding the old murals, he contemplated the idea of his father and Sarutobi-sensei looking down on him as he grew. Wondering if Jiraiya ever did the same, Naruto could only hope that they all watched in on him and his shinobi career from time to time.

Tsunade, on the other hand, was admiring Naruto from behind her desk. She noticed how much he had grown to look like the Yondaime Hokage, the father he never got to truly know. He had just returned to the village not even a week ago, and she was already sending him out for another long mission. Luckily, this one would be nothing like his last, and he wouldn't be away from the village for over two years. She was curious though to see how he was doing, knowing how much he had changed last time he traveled the nations with Jiraiya.

"So Naruto, I've read the report from your extended traveling. Tell me now, how's the Joint Shinobi Forces doing in the smaller countries?" asked Tsunade as she situated her elbows on her desk. Looking toward Naruto for her reply, she rested her chin on her outstretched thumbs,

Coming out of his thoughts, Naruto looked at Tsunade dumbfounded, "What was that Baa-san?"

Shocked, Tsunade plunged back into her chair in disbelief. "WHAT!" she screamed, "I'm in the middle of discussing your last mission and you're off in your own little world. Pay attention BRAT!" Tsunade ordered, saying the last part with a little more aggravation in her voice then the rest. _'Good grief_, _Naruto is still dense some times, he hasn't changed one bit,'_ Tsunade thought as she collected herself.

"Hey, I'm not a brat you OLD FOSSIL." Naruto replied as he glared back intently towards the increasingly flustered Hokage.

Tsunade froze in sheer shock and rage, her irritation apparent across her face as a large vain throbbed on her forehead. "Watch who you call old fossil you little brat; unless you want to end up in the hands of the medics, shut that trap of yours!" Scowling at the blond, Tsunade snorted in frustration before both of them turned away from each other.

"Humph," Naruto complained as he looked away mockingly. "As for your question, the new system of units seems to be working. The smaller countries have reported that since implemented the Joint Shinobi Forces to patrol their territories, they have seen a decrease in crime across their lands."

Tsunade attempted to cool down while taking in what Naruto had stated. She was pleased to hear about the success of the Tsuchikage's plan. Returning her focus on the file from Naruto's' travels, she came across something interested added by Kakashi. Reading it, she soon lost all aggression towards the blond standing in her office. '_It would seem both men ran into a bit of trouble with the local women of a few small towns. Who would guess that both of them would've been kidnapped and held captive for marriage arrangements, and not just on one occasion?' _Laughing to herself, she had to save this bit of info to tease her adoptive grandson later.

"So from this report, I see both you and Kakashi got into a bit of a mess with the local townswomen." Smiling, she watched as a bit of color left Naruto's face. "I knew Kakashi was a pervert, but who would have thought Jiraiya had rubbed off on you so much?" Laughing a little more, she continued, leaving a confused Naruto staring at her.

"So, I asked you here not for your run in with women, but because I have a special mission in mind that suits your…" Pausing for a second, a smile came to her face as she continued. "Enthusiasm; I need you to do an escort mission up to Kumo with an unruly client."

Pale and with a cold sweat rolling off his brow, Naruto tapped his index fingers together as he tried figuring out what that random comment was about. _'Damn it Kakashi, why did you have to tell her about that?' _Taking in an even breath of air, he calmed his nerves for the moment. He still wasn't thrilled that during his entire mission, both he and Kakashi had to constantly look over their shoulders. Not for enemy ninja or bandits, but from the single women who wanted them for husbands. He hated Sasuke as a kid for all his fan girls who'd followed him back at the academy, but now, he felt sorry for Sasuke. Naruto now knew first hand just how much fan girls could be a pain in the ass.

Pulling another file out of her desk, Tsunade flipped it open to the clients' details. "His name is Usanara Ikuto, and he happens to be a wealthy business man from Bear Country. He is traveling up to Kumo with his daughter who is to be married. I'm assigning you guard detail for the remainder of their trip. Sakura escorted them this far, but I'm having you finish the job. There are other things I want you to keep a look out for while on your journey."

Leaning back in her chair, Tsunade tapped at her desk irritably as she mulled over the details of Naruto's secrete mission. _'This unknown organization seems to be coming out of the wood works. Whatever their plan is, it seems they have started to put it in motion.' _Looking up from her desk, she stared at the blond for a moment before continuing on.

"I have a scroll for you to deliver personally to the Raikage." Tsunade explained while pulling a scroll out of her desk. "There seems to be activity from a new organization that might jeopardize all that we have created since the war." Handing the scroll over, she continued to explain. "I want you to keep an eye out on your travels north for any activities that might be related to this group."

**(End)**

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Naruto was still traveling down the path that would lead him to Konoha. But often when he had time to be alone with his thoughts, he would reflect on how much life had changed for him since the war. His former teammate and friend, Sasuke Uchiha had come back to fight alone side him during the final battle. It had been slightly over three years since his final battle with the last two Uchiha. The Fourth Great Shinobi War had ended with the death of Madara and Obito Uchiha. However, Naruto was deeply devastated at being unable to have his friend return to Konoha at the end of the war. His beliefs were still misguided, and what he wanted to do with the ninja world was too cruel. The last of the true Uchiha remained too far gone for Naruto to rationalize with. His mind was filled with too much hate for the way the world worked. After the war he and his comrades disappeared and still to this day are registered as missing-nins.

In the past two years Naruto has spent his time traveling the different nations. He has gotten to see the actions of Joint Shinobi Forces first hand and the effects it's had on all the countries, both great and small. Since the alliance of the five Kages had now turned into an alliance of all nations, a group task force of the Joint Shinobi Army was formed under a decree the Tsuchikage put in place. It was comprised of ninja rom every nation, and worked similar to a normal three man cell. They simply traveled between the nations, going from small towns to large villages providing any needed services.

The JSF wasn't the only thing created out of the alliance. A special group of ANBU called 'Karasu' was formed. The group compiled of loners, all of who were either A or S-ranked ninja. Working in two man cells much like Akatsuki once had, it made them rather good at tracking rouge-nins. Reporting to the leader of whatever country they happened to be in, the special ANBU mainly conveyed any information gathered to the Kages much like a well-oiled spy network.

Naruto was still walking on his seamlessly never ending journey back home when his legs began to cramp up. Decided to take a break on the side of the path, he found a good spot to sit and reflect. _'__Fuck, I'm sore!' _He thought as he rubbed at his left leg thoughtfully; he just wished the pain he was feeling would end. _'__I think I might have broken the bone in my last spar_._'_ Wincing from the sharp pain he received, he turned his thoughts inward, _'Hey Kurama, why the hell aren't you letting my leg heal?'_

The giant fox within growled at her host, hating the fact that she was being disturbed to answer yet another annoying question of his. The Kyuubi might like her container now, but she still held a grudge to the rest of humanity. Being imprisoned and controlled for years, she was at least happy her new jailer was nothing like the rest.

**"****Shut up you ****baka****!" **Kurama roared,** "It would only take me a second to heal you, but then again, I'd rather you suffer through it seeing this was your own doing.****" ** Putting on her best foxy grin, the Kyuubi knew Naruto was stunned and about to give her one of his annoying rants.

Naruto simply fell backwards from hearing the Kyuubi's answer. "What? You want me to suffer? Why? Naruto cried histrionically. "This isn't my fault." He pronounced while pointing at his thigh. "It's not like I kicked a tree too hard without using chakra to strengthen my leg." Naruto began to pout as he thought about it. "I was the tree… I was the one kicked."

Regaining his seat upon the log he found, Naruto crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing. When Naruto re-opened his eyes, he stood inside his mindscape before Kurama. The great fox demon Kyuubi-no-Kitsune rested on top of a large rock shelf that protruded out of a large hilltop. With Naruto absorbing and fusing with her chakra, it resulted in him changing his inner mindscape for her. She rather liked the feeling of her new home, it no longer being the sewers it had been before, Locked behind a cage. It had now been replaced with an ancient forest of the largest trees anyone had ever seen, so large that it even made the giant fox look tiny on top of her rock.

Naruto could see the Kyuubi through the trees, lying out across her shelf. As he walked out from the forest and around her to a familiar spot, he sat down onto a rock he had used plenty of times when conversing with her. Crossing his arms after a few minutes, Naruto began to grow more impatient the longer he waited for the fox to answer him.

Kurama, on the other hand, took her time seeing she was in no hurry to answer the kid. She knew the wait was only causing him to get increasingly aggravated the longer he sat there waiting on her. She continued on with her guise of resting peacefully, and plainly ignored his presence.

After a short while of silence, the Kyuubi snickered before finally glared at Naruto. **"****It is your fault ****baka****. You were the one to pull that prank on Killer Bee and then stupidly lower your guard afterword.****"** Grinning, she knew Naruto wouldn't argue back after that statement. **"You've now let yourself be knocked around twice in one month you idiot!"**

She was right; Naruto turned his head, not even wanting to acknowledge the incident that happened the other day. He reflected on how he lowered his guard too soon, but still he thought Bee-sama held back some of his strength. He thought it was because Killer Bee still had the image of those fox-girls running through his head.

"Well I figured I'd do it since we were evenly matched." Grinning, he returned the same roguish look he was receiving from the fox. "I needed to do something to end our fight." Naruto just started to laugh as he thought back to his mission to Kumogakure-no-sato in the Land of Lightning…

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

**(Flash Back)**

Inside a massive Sumo circle, both Naruto and Killer Bee were locked in battle. Neither of them showed any sign of giving up as both pushed on the other. The match had gone on long enough as both dug in deep, trying to keep their stances. Extending their chakra-laced arms, tentacles wrapped around orange fox legs as Bee attempted to get an upper hand. Feeling his grip slipping, Naruto completed the last of his hands signs in hopes of winning the match.

Now with a foxy looking grin stretched across his face, he finished his jutsu, and hoped his plan would work. "Haaremu no Jutsu!"

Puffs of smoke suddenly surrounded Killer Bee, catching the Jinchuuriki off guard. Throwing his arms up in defense, he prepared himself to be hit with a shadow clone barrage, which would break the rules, ending their fight. However when the smoke cleared, he froze from the nine beautiful sights that stood before him. Naruto had created nine naked vixens who's beauty could ensnare any man instead of shadow clones. As they covered themselves seductively, the girls slowly began forcing Bee closer and closer to the edge of circle without him noticing.

Feeling the presence of liquid on his upper lip, he paid no mind to the bit of blood dribbling from his nose. He was far too occupied in looking at the women meant for him, never noticing his loss in focus causing his tentacles to retreat back into his body. Killer Bee gradually analyzed each girl, studying their slender bodies and admiring their oversized breasts. Impeccable, round, and perky, he couldn't look away. He was sure these nine vixens' tits were bigger than Samui-chan's. Luckily Samui still had the advantage with her un-matched sexy curvy hips that Bee was so fond of.

Raising an eyebrow, Bee smiled when he finally took noticed that each girl had a bushy fox tail and little pointy ears nestled atop their long flowing red hair. Ashamed he had fallen to such a trick, Bee called out to his tenant sealed within him.

"Hey Eight-O..." Bee chanted while sitting on top of the Hachibi, "Do you see what sights are out before me? These lovely ladies cannot be, that fox gots brains and plays things tricky."

The Hachibi just grinned and shook his head. **"****We are supposed to be in the middle of a Sumo match and you're getting distracted by these fox-girls. I thought you weren't perverted ****Bee-san****."**Hachibi stated before laughing loudly.

"Hey, don't call me a pervert. I don't go sneaking aro-…"

Killer-Bee was suddenly cut off mid-sentence when the nine fox-girls started wrapping their arms around him. He couldn't move, too stunned he could only watch their devilish tricks as his eyes bounced around in his head. He followed each girl as they all started on their own mission and soon lost him in the blissfulness of each girls caress. Lifting up his shirt, some of the girls massaged their warm hands into his stomach and chest while three others kissed his neck.

However, it was the last one who was the true seductress. She kissed Bee softly on his lips, her tongue sliding across them, begging for entrance. As the girl pulled her lips away she batted her eyelashes and asked in a seductively sweet voice, "Kil-ler-Bee-kun, with all these pretty girls on you, why don't you stop this silly match and come with us?" Leaning close into his ear, she whispered, "Do you think you can satisfy all nine of us?" Letting the last part hiss out, she began to nibble softly on his ear.

Killer-Bee couldn't handle it any longer and was hurtled back by a massive nose bleed to land face first into the dirt outside the ring. His body collapsed upon itself, as his eyes remained closed. Blood still trickled from his nose as he remained pale and unresponsive. But as he lay there, reflecting on everything that just happen, he began to smile like a fool. He was picturing just what he'd have done to the nine vixens given the chance, even pulling some of his inspiration from things he had read in Icha-Icha Paradise. He remained on the ground for some time, lost in his own thoughts.

"**Get your ass up Bee; you're making us look bad!"**__The Hachibi yelled as he looked out at Naruto from within Killer-Bee's mindscape. _**'**__**Who would have thought a technique like that would put **__**Bee-san**__** out cold. I guess this is why they started calling the **__**Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki**__** -The Cunning Fox of **__**Konoha**__**-. He's a tricky little bastard, that's for sure.' **_Laughing for a moment, he returned to his efforts in waking Bee.

Naruto on the other hand, was holding his sides from the pain he was in after laughing so hard. He would have never thought his plan to work until he heard about Omoi giving Killer Bee his late sensei's book collection of Icha-Icha. Naruto couldn't stop laughing, but once Killer Bee had stood up with blood still on his upper lip, he started to laugh even harder.

"I-I never t-took y-you as a p-pervert Bee-sama!" He sputtered between laughs as he finally cancelled the sexy no jutsu.

Doubled over in laughter, Naruto didn't see Killer Bee move, and before he could fully react, his fellow Jinchuuriki had landed a kick to his leg. Naruto was sent flying into the boulders that piled around the Sumo ring and crashed hard into the granite, burying him under a pile of rubble.

Bee wiped his nose with the back of his hand before looking in Naruto's direction with a half grin. "Yo yo yo!" He shouted with one fist in the air, "The rules we set simply stated, no Nin or Genjutsus, so don't be hate'n. You lose by default, making your joke seem so cool, well I still kicked you across this field, cause you're a fool, fool, fool " Killer Bee just laughed after he finished with his rap. _'__If it wasn't for that jutsu stopping the fight, we could have gone long into the night. Who knew the kid had gotten that strong? I'll bet he'll reach his dreams before too long.'_

Sighing, the Hachibi agreed with Killer Bee. **"****Yes. I think you're right. He has grown much since we had first met him four years ago."**Bee nodded his head in agreement, _'__This peace we are in is because of his will, to never give up and to never mindlessly kill.'_ Satisfied, Killer Bee began to walk off, leaving the training ground and an unconscious Naruto…

**(End)**

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Naruto came out of his thoughts about the fight with Bee; though it was fun, he was still a little worried about the first half of his mission**. **Officially,his mission was to escort a client to Kumogakure, some VIP business man. The whole way up, however, Naruto's patience was running thin with this particular civilian. Seems the man had come to make a lot of money after the war, and now flaunted his wealth pompously. His ego was so big, he thought himself superior to all ninja, and insulted their life style, saying it was pointless.

"You're pathetic, the whole lot of you." He had once told Naruto. "To risk your life for others is just a waste of a life. A man should make his mark in this world with wealth and success!" Looking down upon Naruto from his carriage window, he frowned at him before further insulting him. "Just do the job I paid you for and stop talking to me like we could be friends."

It had really struck a nerve with Naruto, but he let it slide knowing everyone had their own way of life. The man was doing no good to anyone by being a pompous ass and therefore didn't deserve anything Naruto had been wishing to do. However, guarding a civilian wasn't his main goal; Tsunade had given Naruto a scroll to deliver to the Raikage. It had seemed that something or someone was blocking the messenger hawks from reaching Kumogakure. He was tasked with finding out what might be the cause. When they had reached the neck of Frost Country, south of the great mountain ranges of Lightning Country, Naruto had snuck off one night. Creating a hundred clones, he sent them out in every direction, tasked with the objective to find any clues of the missing birds. He had done this at several intervals throughout the trip, always at night as to not wanting to draw any attention from the client or his crew.

However, this time in Frost Country, Naruto found some real evidence when one of his clones released itself and a flood of memories returned to him. It had seemed the clone came upon a dead hawk with a longbow shaft through its side. The message it had carried stolen off its corpse, leaving the information it contained in unknown hands. Shortly enough, other clones were finding the same thing. Naruto wrote it all down in a scroll for his records. He counted a total of five hawks, only half of what had been missing. Concluding the same had happened to the others as what had happened to these five, Naruto released the remaining clones and returned to camp.

Still sitting alongside the Kyuubi, Naruto noticed the fox had gone back to sleep and realized his leg had still yet to be healed. Deciding to take up his thoughts at another time, he returned to pestering the fox about his broken leg.

"You might be right about what had happened during the match with Octopops; however, I'm already a day behind schedule and I really need to get back to the village by tonight." He informed her before standing and walking over to the left of her head.

Kurama started to laugh some more as she opened one eye to stare back at Naruto. **"****If you weren't so dense, you could have learned medical ****ninjutsu**** from Sakura-chan when she tried to teach you, and heal your own damn leg.****"** Returning to ignoring Naruto, she closed her eye once again and tried to drift off into sleep.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto knew that at least for the time being he wasn't going to get any help from the fox. "Fine, I guess I'll just take it easy." Lowering his head in defeat, he grumbled to himself, "I can still get to Konoha before it's too late…" Closing his eyes, Naruto left his inner mind and found himself back on the side of the path.

After limping for another hour, Naruto decided to keep a steadier pace to Konoha, and dealt with the aches and pains coming from his thigh. It was already late in the afternoon, and he had figured he was about ten hours from the village and probably wouldn't see home till morning. Then again, if he could push it, he might just get home before midnight and get to sleep in a real bed. At the moment though, he was lost in one of his Fuuinjutsu books, reading up on some old seals when he stopped dead in his tracks.

As lost as he was in reading his book, he became suspicious after catching the faintest sound of someone running towards him. Not being able to tell who or what it was, Naruto tried to sniff them out and search for any scent he might recognize. Yet, he had no luck with identifying the pursuers or their exact position. No options left to him, Naruto focused back on the noise and could finally distinguish where they were running on the ground. _'It's a good thing I've been practicing with my enhanced hearing. Learning this trick from Kurama makes this a bit easier,' _Naruto thought as he focused all his efforts into the thick woodlands.

They were hard to follow; the small group seemed to be moving erratically and heading in his general direction. Suddenly it dawned on him; he heard the grunts and huffs of a pack of wolves. He could only guess then that they must be hunting down some prey. Focusing harder, he finally caught a bit of noise and found the sounds of their prey. Whatever they were chasing, the prey was good enough to keep ahead of the pack. Figuring this was no threat to him; he returned his attention to his book and continued on his way.

It was only moments later, and a little ways down the path; Naruto realized the packs prey was right up on him. From under one bush dashed out a small, light orange fox cub, no bigger than a small house cat. Without stopping at the sight of Naruto, the fox kept running right at him. Stunned at what he was looking at, Naruto heard the fox yip once before the small creature jumped right at him. Dropping his book, he froze in shock, surprised that the little kit would even attempt an attack at him. Landing on Naruto's left knee, the fox pushed himself off the leg and onto the blonde's shoulder. Digging his claws deep into the black cloak the fox perched himself on top of Naruto.

"What the…? It's a fox. This is the prey those wolves were cha-"

Before Naruto could finish his sentence, he was taken out at the knees and tossed up into the air, crashing down onto the ground face-first. Lying dazed and face down in the dirt, Naruto rolled over onto his back to stare up at the tree canopy. Trying to gather his thoughts, he suddenly remembered the fox who was just sitting on his shoulder.

The Kyuubi was laughing hysterically in Naruto's mind. Slowly she managed to control herself and catch her breath before speaking to Naruto. **"****It seems you still haven't learned to keep your guard up ****baka****."** Kurama was grinning gleefully, knowing just how to push Naruto when it suited her entertainment. Waiting to see if her container would play into her hands, she was hoping to cause Naruto to go off into one of his ridicules rants.

"Stuff it fox. I don't care what you have to say right now!" Naruto screamed in reply.

Searching around him, he found the small fox was still by his side. Yet now they also had the company of a rather large pack of wolves circled around them both. As if there was an unseen command, the wolves attacked at once. They were on top of Naruto before he could fully react. Several wolves sank their teeth into his flesh. Pinned and barely able to move, he released the Kyuubi's chakra he merged with years ago. His body became surrounded with the demonic chakra, altering his looks to resemble a certain sage of legend. Glowing in an awe-inspiring aura, Naruto's body shone brightly in shades of yellow, orange, and red. The wolves that once held him down went flying through the air as Naruto pushed them away with extended chakra arms. The small fox attempted at that moment to make his escape. Dashing in between the pack of wolves closest to him, he tried to make it to the cover of the woods once again. Despite his best efforts though, one of the wolves was far too fast for him. It seemed to be the alpha of this pack as he appeared ruthless with his attack. Grabbing the young pup by his neck, he forced the kit to the ground, pinning him to the dirt of the path. Crying out in pain the small fox screamed as the wolf sank its fangs deep into his neck and shoulders. But as the alpha picked him up and began shaking the fox in his mouth, his screams turned more frantic, then horrifying as the poor creature began to gag and choke on its own blood.

Taking action immediately before the neck could snap, Naruto threw one of his triple kunai at the wolf, catching him off guard. The Flying-Thunder-God kunai caught one of the alpha's ears perfectly, removing that body part from its head. In a flash of yellow, Naruto now stood in front of the surprised wolf. Shocked by the sudden pain it found itself in, the alpha dropped the lifeless body from its mouth and faced Naruto in challenge and leapt for his throat. Naruto obliged the wolf's wishes and continued his onslaught. A simple chakra induced kick was all that it took, sending the alpha spiraling overhead of his pack and into the forest behind them. The large wolf slammed into the canopy of a large tree, and howled out as he fell, hitting every branch on the way down before colliding with the ground in a lifeless mass of blood and fur. Making no movement, the alpha remained unconscious under the heap of broken braches that followed him down.

Now standing between the fox and remaining wolves, Naruto sneaked a peak at the young fox and clenched his fist. Blood soaked its fur around its neck, and he saw no indication that it was even still breathing. The poor creature was likely dead and at the present moment there was nothing Naruto could do about it. A few of the wolves started closing in around him as even one more attempted to go after the wounded animal behind him.

"I should do the same to you all!" Naruto called out to the others.

Watching as some of the wolves started to retreat; Naruto waited for an attack as a few continued to grow closer. With four wolves challenging him, Naruto held back a little with the mutts before him on account of a certain loud mouthed friend of his. '_If it wasn't for Kiba, I think I'd kill these four wolves in a heartbeat.' _

With that thought, Naruto pulled out several more kunai, and began spinning one of them on his finger tip as he waited. Agrin crossed his face that matched the evil glare burning in his eyes._ 'I'll just have to settle on making them run tucking their tails.'_ In one fluid motion, he released all the kunai, cutting off an ear on every wolf that remained so they now match their alpha in appearance.

It was more than enough to scare off the pack as they all fled the area, never to look back; leaving behind the pieces of flesh they'd lost. With the threat gone, Naruto returned his attention back to the small cub. He took off the cloak he was wearing to wrap the injured animal. Placing his hands over the lacerations, he attempted to stop the bleeding as best that he could. Blood began to cover his hands as the dark liquid soaked his jacket. Keeping pressure on the dying fox's neck, Naruto knew he was failing in his efforts to save the fox. '_If only Kiba's sister were here. She'd know what to do.'_

Naruto felt the warmth leave the small body in his hands. His shoulders sank in defeat as he stopped applying pressure. The fox was dead, and he felt miserable for it. Sure it was nature, but he hated watching what that fox had just gone through.

"**What are you doing Naruto? The fox is dead, pull yourself together." **Sitting up on her rock, Kurama looked out into the real world through Naruto's mind. She wondered to herself whether or not she should tell Naruto of the way he could give this fox a new life.

"Why does it matter to you Kurama?" Naruto answered back. If all she was going to do was pester him, he'd rather not hear it. "I'm too late anyways; I can't save him." Pulling the cub into his arms, Naruto wished he only could have done more.

**"****What if it isn't too late?"** Kurama smiled as she knew Naruto wouldn't understand.**'**_**The kid is clueless. I wonder how long it will take him to figure out I can help him.'**_

"W-What do you mean? There is nothing I can do." Entering his inner mindscape, he figured it couldn't hurt to hear what Kurama wanted to talk about.

The Kyuubi lingered on her rock, watching Naruto the whole time. Her tails whipped behind her as she prepared herself for the next move. **"There is still an option to choose from, although there is only a small chance of it working."**__Kurama stated with a stolid face, giving Naruto no trace of her true thoughts. _**'At least some part of me will continue. Once I'm reborn, I might no longer be a fox. I might take on a new form like the others had.'**_

"Why the sudden concern in saving this fox, huh?" He asked skeptically as he eyed the Kitsune in front of him. "You've never shown any interest in anything that doesn't concern you before."

"**Humph, you caught me"** Kurama answered with a smirk, **"****Go back to your body and I'll tell you my plan."** She continued as she watched him shimmer out and leave.

Though it had been minutes in his mind, in the real world it had only been seconds. Now prepared to do whatever it took to save the young fox, Naruto linked with Kurama as he opened his eyes. "Okay Kurama. What's your plan?" He asked hesitantly.

**"With the upcoming threat we are about to face, I figure it would do you some good to have a new comrade." **Kurama stated, "**If you use my chakra to heal the fox, in theory he should gain my powers and a new life as a Kitsune. Though if it doesn't work, it may just kill him." **She finished with a smirk.

"Huh?" Naruto asked looking a bit bewildered, "How so? I don't know any medical nin-jutsus." Scratching at his goatee, he pondered on what she had just said. "Not to mention, why do we have to use your chakra?"

"**That fox there in your hands is still just a pup and his chakra network is still being formed." **She stated impatiently.** "Here's what I want you to do: replace his chakra with mine, and it should return life to his system."**

"So then explain to me why you feel like I need this pup as a partner" Naruto asked as he looked back to the lifeless body.

"**With the information the Raikage has given us, it seems that this new organization that threatens the shinobi world plans to use the Spirits and Demons of the old world."** Kurama explained with little enthusiasm. **"With the added help of this soon-to-be newly formed Kitsune, it just might give us an upper hand with our enemy."**

"I can see your point there." Naruto stated as he pondered on the possibilities having a Kitsune as a partner might be. _'This pup and I can end up being as great a duo like Kiba and Akamaru are.' _He mused happily.

"**I want you to create a seal in your own blood. I'm thinking the ****Three-Pointed Trigram Seal**** you just read about in that scroll might do the trick." **Frowning, she thought over her approach one last time,** "Although I'm uncertain what will actually happen. You could use clones to add your own ****Wind**** chakra, along with ****Natural**** energy from your toad transformation. Combining them with my own chakra, you should be able to create a strong enough seal." **Scratching with one of her long claws, Kurama scribed the needed seal on top of her rock, before placing both hands into the circle. ** "Hopefully his body can contain such a large amount of life force seeing how small he is."**

"So your plan is to use a forbidden Fuuinjutsu technique and attach a part of your life force onto the kit along with your chakra?" Naruto confirmed as he thought it over. "It might just work, but there's a risk to the giver of this jutsu as well." Crossing his arms, Naruto recalled what he had read about this Fuuinjutsu. "You can go into shock I believe; you are, in essence, slicing a part of yourself off in order to bring back life into a body." Looking back down once again towards the fox, Naruto decided to go through with the ritual. "If this is what you want to do, then I say let's give it a shot!" He shouted out to Kurama.

"**Let's stop talking about it, and get the show on the road already!"** Kurama replied while snickering. **"I know the risks I take."**

Biting his finger tip with his large fang and drawing blood, Naruto wrote the three pointed seal on the fox's head. Walking over to a large, flat, rectangular boulder, he placed the kit on top of the rock and tossed his stained jacket off to the side. Next, Naruto created two clones; both knew what to do next, as they held out their hands. Though he hadn't attempted it yet, Naruto felt confident enough in his abilities as he wrote the needed signs on the palms of both clones. Writing the same symbol on his palm, Naruto took a seat beside the fox.

"We need to gather the same amount of chakra to perform this jutsu correctly." Naruto explained to his two clones.

"Right!" the two replied as they took their seats as well. One closed his eyes and gathered the Natural energy around him while the other started collecting Wind chakra into the symbols on his hands. The original Naruto concentrated hard, never having really used the Kyuubi's power like this before. Gathering and condensing a mass of yellow chakra into the same symbols on his hands. With the clones finishing their own preparations, the surrounding area became washed out in brilliant lights of white, blue, and orange. Each held in their hands a mass collection of chakra and energy. Wind combined with Nature and Spiritual energy would form the three pillars locking a bit of Kurama's chakra and life force into the fox, or so the plan was.

In unison, the three Naruto's along with Kurama flashed through the 63 hand-signs before slamming their palms down on the ground and activating the sealing jutsu. Black markings crawled across the ground, linking the three in a circle before drawing in on itself to surround the fox. The seal written in blood upon the fox grew to engulf the whole body in lines and symbols of unknown origins and connected to the circle around it. Bringing his other hand over the small body before him, Naruto pushed Kurama's chakra into the fox cub, surrounding it in blood red chakra. Slowly, the dense collection of Spiritual chakra began to absorb into the body, burning and singeing some of the hair in the process with its overwhelming power.

"This is a lot harder than I thought it be..." Naruto gasped in between ragged breaths.

Watching one of her nine tails slowly decrease in size, Kurama continued to funnel her life force into the seal. **"That's it Naruto, looks like it's going ta work. This isn't going to be easy, so get yourself comfortable; it's going to be a long haul." **

They sat there for another hour, only focusing on the slow feed of Spiritual chakra into the small fox. At some time during the sealing, the fox began to show signs of the jutsu's success. His body had begun to transform entirely as he absorbed more and more of Kurama's essence. His fur coat was the first thing to change, darkening to different shades of red, while his white underbelly turned to a blood orange. His color change was the least surprising thing Naruto took witness of during the sealing. Towards the end, Naruto watched in discomfort as the fox's tail began to split, leaving the new Kitsune with three long bushy tails.

By the time the ritual came to an end, Naruto and his clones where exhausted. He felt woozy while the clones were nearly out of power and close to releasing themselves. Kurama wasn't in any better of shape as she sat hunched over the seal, swaying from side to side and feeling slightly light headed. With her tail fully absorbed, she stopped releasing her chakra and immediately collapsed to her side unconsciously.

After a moment, Naruto stopped the transfer, giving time for the chakra to disappear into the fox's new seal. Naruto, along with his two clones went through another series of hand signs, sealing Kurama's chakra and life essence into the body of the small fox forever. The markings on both the ground and fox receded quickly to form the Three-Pointed Trigram Seal between the ears of the young kit. Three lines leading from the Kanji's for Wind, Nature, and Spirit came together and formed a swirl inside a circle before slowly fading away beneath the fur.

The fox remained lifeless on top of the rock. Once catching his breath, the Leaf-nin leaned forward and looked over the body for any signs that something had gone wrong. Running his fingers through the fox's hair, Naruto saw no sign of the previously open wounds. Giving a thumbs up to his two clones, they released themselves when they saw that the Fuuinjutsu had worked.

"I take it we're done now?" Naruto asked as he stood up and looked around for a better place to set the fox. "I'm surprised that his body was able to contain such a large fragment of your soul."

"**It seems like it has kid." **Kurama strained to say.** "But we won't know for sure until the fox wakes." **Hurt, she suddenly winced when she tried moving. **"That is,**_** if**_** he wakes up. Let's just see if the pup fully recovers overnight."**__Laying down on her rock, Kurama struggled to curl her remaining eight tails around herself. Enduring the pain and aches she felt all over her body, she closed her heavy lidded eyes in hopes of recovering by tomorrow.

**'**_**Seems like my plan worked. But I never thought that jutsu would make such a powerful entity as such as myself feel so drained. My whole body feels as if it's being ripped apart.' **_She thought before letting the sleep she longed for claim her.__

Naruto sighed, feeling equally drained. "Well, I guess I'm not getting to Konoha tonight." He laughed to himself as he picked up his new companion into his arms.

Staggering down the path towards the village, a horrifying thought crossed his mind, stopping Naruto dead in his tracks. "Shit, Sakura-chan's birthday is coming up in two days…"

Paling, he flinched with the sudden realization of what Sakura might do to him if he missed it. Imagining how it was when they were younger, she'd most likely put him through a wall for not coming home on time.

"Even worse, she might not want to see me at all!"

Hetried not to think about how much their friendship had been strained over the years, but it wasn't easy seeing her the day he left on his mission. It felt rather awkward and it had been bugging him the whole time since he'd left the village.

Ignoring his self-doubt and rather just call it a night, meant he needed to find a place to camp close by. Managing only to create a half dozen clones, Naruto sent them out in search of a place to camp nearby. Tired, he leaned up against a tree, bracing his weary body and stared back down at the fox in his arms. Naruto was relieved at the sight of steady breathing coming from the newly formed three tailed fox. Though he didn't know where his decisions might take him, he knew his actions would cause waves of uncertainty throughout the village. He was going to have to keep a tight leash on the young Kitsune. But, all that could wait for tomorrow as he received a good location to camp from a released clone. All he wanted to do now was sleep, and as he picked up the sleeping fox, he took pity on him for the experience he had gone through today. Jumping into the trees, Naruto and his new companion were headed in the direction of a good night's sleep, and a new chapter in both their lives…

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**


	2. A New Beginning

(Chapter 2)

-A New Beginning-

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Further down the path from where Naruto had rescued the fox, a clone had found a clearing alongside a steady rivers edge. Nestled back into the woods a bit, he spotted an opening large enough to build a campsite for the night. Taking good note of its location, the clone released itself, sending its memories to the remaining clones, and the original. As everyone eventually arrived, Naruto pulled out some scrolls he had stored away, and gave each clone a task on setting things up.

Standing off to the side as the clones worked, Naruto looked around the forest clearing and admired his surrounding landscape. There were giant lush green canopies from nearby trees arching over parts of the clearing. The wild grass was tall as ones knee and had a mix of different flowers growing along with it. The mix of wild flowers in the area left the air rich with their fragrances. Around a deadfall, the grass had been pushed out by a mat of crawling ivy that wrapped itself across the rotting wood. With the land partially level, it made a tranquil spot to stop and camp next the quite river.

With a vast view of the fading sky above him, Naruto could see it wouldn't be too long before it was dark out. With the clones busy at work flattening the grass where the tent would be pitched, he decided it best to take the small fox down to the river's edge, and clean him while he still had some daylight.

Laying the fox down on the ground gently, Naruto stripped from his blood stained clothing down to his boxers. Pulling two scrolls out, he unsealed a fresh pair of clothing and one towel to dry off with, before setting them down next to him. Picking the unconscious pup into his arms again, Naruto stood at the river's edge. Testing the waters with a big toe, he felt a sudden chill run up his spine.

"This isn't gonna be easy…" Naruto complained shivering.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto jumped into the cool mountain river, and splashed into knee deep water. His whole body began to shake uncontrollably from the frigid water as it took him a moment to regain control. With his teeth chattering, Naruto carried the fox a little further out into the river. Lowering the fox into the freezing water, the blond haired ninja suddenly felt the fox jerk in his arms as the creature suddenly regained consciousness. It yipped in surprise and shock as the small fox clawed for freedom.

"Calm down will ya!" Naruto screamed before the fox bit his hand. "Ouch! That hurt you little fuzz-ball."

Dropping the fox into the waters he stood in, Naruto suddenly realized the fox couldn't swim all too well. Barely treaded water, the small Kitsune fought for survival as the current took him away. Scrabbling to the aid of the kit, Naruto dived in the direction of the fox before pulling him back up out of the water. The young Kitsune sneezed out water from his nose before passing out from heavy excursion. Relaxing a bit, Naruto was just thankful he hadn't let the fox drown right then.

Washing the dried blood from the fox as quickly as he could, he returned the unconscious fox to the rivers bank in hopes he'd lie there peacefully. Naruto paid close attention to the area the injuries were inflicted. The tissue appeared to be red and irritated but no less healed shut then he hoped for. Scar tissue could be seen with patches of newly grown peach fuzz covering them. All in all, Naruto was pleased with the end result of the ritual. Though he still wasn't sure how he was going to go about explaining how he came across a miniature Kyuubi. Whatever explanation he came up with, he was happy that he had been able to save the fox's life.

Now that the fox was clean and resting, Naruto started cleaning his own clothes of the fox's blood. "Oh man, I better get these to the cleaners as soon as I'm home." Naruto complained as he looked over the blemished stains. "If I don't, I'll just end up having to buy some new ones." Lowering his head in defeat Naruto drudged himself out of the water, and back onto dry land. Grabbing the towel, he dried himself off first before patting dry the sleeping fox.

"Glad to see he's still passed out. Guess I should go ahead and move him to a better spot"

Looking around cautiously, Naruto cheeked if the coast was clear. He knew he was alone, but still felt a little sheepish about stripping nude in the woods. Standing, Naruto slipped off his wet boxes quickly and had a new dry pair on before the old fully hit the ground. Finishing getting dressed, he grabbed the fox and carried the resting pup to his tent. Laying the sleeping kit down on his sleeping bag, he began riffling through his scrolls for the one that contained his provisions of instant rammen. Grabbing a pot from another scroll he made his way over to the river before coming to by the quite crackling fire the clones had made earlier.

Waiting for his water to boil, Naruto sat there regarding the fading light of the sun as the approaching night sky began to materialize. Gazing upon the first set of stars coming into view, he contemplated on what he had done earlier that day.

Naruto spoke in a hushed voice as he turned away from the night sky. "Hey Kurama," Still lost in the day's events his words came out unsteady. "Are you still awake?"

The Kyuubi stirred from her sleep slightly annoyed from being bothered. _**"What is it baka?" **_She kept her eyes closed while lifting one ear while the other remained flat._** "I'm worn out from todays' events, so make it fast, I want to go back to sleep."**_ Growling, she waited to see why Naruto had awakened her.

"Stop calling me baka, you stupid fox." Naruto yelled back while crossing his arms in annoyance. "I was just wondering why you feel like this Kitsune we created will aid us against this new organization."

Naruto began to toss more wood into the camp fire before stepping back from it to return upon the log he sat on. Watching the flames dance into the cool night air, he simply waited for the reply to his question.

"**From the information we gained from the Raikage, I fear we are in the midst of a war human kind has never seen before." **Kurama stated before continuing, **"This world of new follows from the ashes of the old."**

Naruto had a blanched face as he placed both hands behind his head in confusion. "What do you mean a war human kind has never seen before? And what this whole thing about an old and new world; hasn't it always been this way?"

"_**Life was very different back in the days of the old world. Before man was around and long before the **__**Juubi**__** created this one, there was a world full of spirits and demons." **_The Kyuubi reminisced as her tails started to away behind her. _**"Back then**__**there was always some war going on between demons and spirit… so much senseless fighting happened during those times." **_Laying her had down onto her outstretched paws, Kurama continued on with her story. "**Eventually the war got to bloody for either side. In seeking peace, a great and powerful spirit approached the Demon Lord." **Frowning, Kurama recalled the memories she retained from the Juubi. **"However the spirit was tricked by the Demon Lord, her and her power being devoured by the crazed king. Continuing on with his power hungry ways, he began to devour both demons and spirits, growing stronger with everyone he consumed. **

"What became of this Demon Lord?" Naruto asked as he poured his hot water into the bowl of instant rammen. _'No way this guy lasted for long if he was running around eating people.' _He thought as he waited for the story to continue.

Kurama snickered as she began to finish the story, **"A truce was eventually made between both parties as they united to take down the powerful Demon Lord. It took many attempts, but eventually they succeeded in their plight when they sealed the Demon Lord inside a massive tree of his own power. Locked inside, only to view the world around him, it had finally seemed as peace had been found. But peace never lasts for long. With the Demon Lord gone, the lesser powerful sought to fill the void."**

"So…" Naruto started as he slurped up a mouth full of rammen, "The circle of hate even existed in this old world as well."

"**Hate is a powerful emotion, but greed over seeds that tenfold. Luckily Kami herself sought to reconcile their problems in fear of another Juubi being created. The great goddess created two new plains of existence between the living and dead for the spirits and demons to live apart from one another. Before Kami left this world, she created mortals, you pathetic humans to inhabit this world of the living." **The sound of disgust was evident in her voice as she finished her story.

"So this Demon Lord became the Juubi that old man sage defeated huh?" Putting down his second bowl of rammen, Naruto thought over everything he had just learned. "So how does this organization plan to use this old world to their advantage? Are they planning to merge the worlds in hopes to create chaos?" Scratching at the scraggly hairs on his chin, Naruto pondered on what threats he might be facing in the future. "Is there a chance that they might try to summon some of the demons back to this world?"

"**That might be a possibility kit; it would be a great advantage to them if they gained some of the powers the demons of the old world had." **Kurama explained, **"Let's pounder on this some more and sleep on it. When you return home I suggest you discuss what I told you with that Slug Princess." **Saying all that she had to say, Kurama closed her eyes in hopes sleep would claim her soon.

Glancing back towards his tent Naruto felt his heart rate pick up as he thought about his options. 'I don't know what today's events will bring, but I am sure Tsunade-sama won't be happy with me bringing home a tiny Kyuubi.' Rubbing at where his leg was still sore, he grumbled to himself as he made himself another bowl of rammen, "Last thing I need right now is another dose of super human strength…"

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Later on in the night, the clouds had cleared from earlier leaving the night sky to shine down in all its glory. Naruto sat with the fire to his side, and used the light it produced to read a book on seals written by his great uncle, Uzumaki Shima. Closing the book, Naruto yawned while mumbling out to himself. "I guess that's far enough for tonight. I still have to head back to Konoha as soon as I can." Naruto turned toward his tent while rubbing one of his eyes. "Though I still don't know what I'm going to do with that newly formed Kitsune."

Standing, Naruto stretched out before walking quietly to his tent and peered into it only to see the fox on top of his sleeping bag, snoozing away. Lowering his head in defeat, he couldn't believe the small fox was taking up all the room. Grumbling out in annoyance, he complained about his new companions bed manners. "Great, it's a bed hog as well."

Kneeling down Naruto attempted to move the fox off of his sleeping bag only to be rewarded with the small fox growling in return. "What!" Naruto bellowed as he pulled his hand back. "Look here fox, that's my bed you're laying in." Naruto pulled at the bedding while still yelling causing the fox to raise his head. "I'm the boss inside this tent so you're going to move your ass off it now."

Finishing his rant Naruto once again attempted to move the fox. However with quick movements the fox had grabbed Naruto's wrist within its mouth and growled louder than before. Naruto huffed out in annoyance. "Fine, I'll let you sleep there, but only for tonight." He conceded in a tone of defeat as he pulled his wrist out of the fox's grasp. Now in a more warning tone of voice, Naruto spoke once more to the fox as he turned to leave. "Oh and another thing, you better lose the attitude cause Sakura-chan won't stand for you biting her."

Leaving the tent behind him to an ungrateful fox, Naruto pulled out a scroll and released a spare blanket that he kept for cold nights. Lying against the log by the fire, Naruto listened to its crackling as it slowly died out, and in doing so, Naruto had finally found some ease as he drifted off to sleep…

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

In the early hours of the next morning, the sun began to crest over the distant horizon. Through the various tree canopies, its light cascaded down and around the clearing. Naruto awoke to the feeling of warmth on his face as a ray of sunlight inched across slowly. Blinded by the glare in his eyes, he let out a signal of his awakening with a large yawn. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Naruto finally began to regain his vision. He twitched as pain raced up his side, making him well aware of the stiffness in his joints. Stretching out his arms, he proceeded to clear his mind from the grogginess of his slumber. Slowly looking around his camp with weary eyes, Naruto tried to focus his poor vision onto his tent, when it then gradually became clear to him that the fact was; his tent was empty.

Lowering his head in defeat, Naruto began to yell, despite the fact; no one was there to answer him. "Damn it, where did that stupid fox get too now?" he grumbled lightly. Jumping off of the log, he scanned his camp site rigorously, but with to avail, he still couldn't locate any trace of the fox.

"Wake up Kyuubi-teme, your little pet creation took off during the night." Naruto complained.

The Kyuubi hated to be disturbed in the morning, however, hearing that the Kitsune she helped create by splitting her life force had gone missing, just increased her normal rage. **"You baka, how hard is it for you to look after a young pup?" **she roared.

"Stuff it fox, it's not my fault; it's not like he was very appreciative for having its life saved in the first place!" He growled in return. "He's bitten me twice in just the first day."

Crossing his arms, Naruto glared out into the deep forest, seeing nothing in particular. "Nonetheless, we still have a problem on our hands." Pausing, he waited to see if the fox had anything else to say before continuing. "Now, since this fox was your little project and it was your plan; how do you suppose we track it down?"

"**This was not my undertaking. Who was the one that wished to save that creature's life?"**__The Kyuubi shrieked while she looked out through Naruto's mind. '_**I suppose for now I should let things play out, but still, I'm intrigued to see the kit's actions for myself.'**_

"Don't give me that shit, fox!" Naruto shouted, already passed the point of being aggravated. He began to pace around the clearing heatedly from the little patience he had left. Returning to his tent, Naruto squatted down by its opening and knelt inside the entrance. "Kyuubi, can you detect any presence of the fox? I can't seem to pick up his scent; it's as if the fox just disappeared." He asked in a more level tone as he regained his composer.

The Kyuubi began to grin as she sat back down upon her rock. **"It appears that kit has inherited my ability to teleport. It's much like your **_**Hiraishin no Jutsu**_** but it does not require a seal at the destined location." **Kurama sighed as she closed her eyes, still holding her earlier grin upon her face.__**"Sadly this in turn will make it difficult for you to track down that fox. I suggest you transform into your sage mode and see if you can detect his chakra signature."**

Naruto nodded in agreement and went to get his jacket and his hidden scroll he kept within it. Once he found both, he returned to the center of the clearing. Biting down on his thumb with his incisor, Naruto smeared the blood that emerged across the reversed summoning scroll. A loud pop was heard and smoke was released. From within the smoke appeared the large _Kage Bunshin_ summoning scroll Pa helped him create from the Toad summoning seal.

With blood still on his fingertip, Naruto wasted no time as he rolled out the larger scroll. Collecting the needed amount of chakra in his hands he slammed them down to summon his clone from Mt. Myouboku. As before, a loud pop was heard and smoke was released from the scroll. However this time, there sitting in the smoke of the jutsu was his clone; still cross legged and meditating. Once the clone had appeared Naruto had released it, absorbing its reserves of _Senjutsu_ chakra.

'_I guess I'll be paying a visit to both Ma and Pa soon to replace that clone.' thought Naruto as he started c_oncentrating on the vast surroundings of is his camp. Searching for the young fox's chakra signature across the rolling mountain sides took a few moments but as he reopened his eyes, Naruto grinned as he turned around to face the mountains behind him from which the river was flowing from.

"It seems like our little friend is up stream to our Northeast. His chakra signature is faint; I think he might be in a small cave formation among the mountain's base…"

Wasting no time, Naruto ran, throwing a kunai into the ground before taking to the trees, jumping from branch to branch in the direction of the fox's chakra signature. In ten minutes' time Naruto had arrived at the cave's opening where he sensed feeble traces of the Kyuubi's chakra. Observing the environment around him, Naruto caught sight of a corpse partially hidden under the brush. Stepping in for a better investigation, Naruto discovered the remains of an adult fox. The body was mangled to shreds. By the appearance of the wounds, Naruto could easily tell who had caused these tears and lashes that resulted in the mother being killed viciously in cold blood. Naruto took a minute to appreciate the vixen's blonde hair as it resembled his own, though now her hair was stained red with the drying liquid of her spilt blood.

Leaving the body where it laid, Naruto turned his attention back onto the cave opening. Still sensing the fox's presence from within the cave, he hunched over and walked into the tight confinements.

"Assuming that the corpse outside was the mother to our fox, this must have been its home before those wolves attacked."

Growling, for the first time in this century, feelings of sympathy towards another individual arose up within her. **"If I had been in your position yesterday, I would have not gone so easy on those wolves."**

"I myself am regretting that action." Clenching his fists, he continued pushing on into the narrowing corridor, and as he rounded a corner, he was greeted by a very unhappy three-tailed Kitsune. Sighing to himself, Naruto knelt down in an attempt to calm the kit. The fox, however, had decided to back up even further, cornering itself into the walls of the small chamber.

'_I had a feeling this wasn't going to be easy. It's just going to end up being a repeat of last night.' _Naruto thought to himself irritably.

Slowly, Naruto crawled forward on his knees, and as he got closer to the fox he held out an open hand. Taking his time, he spoke softly to the scared kit. "It's okay little guy, I'm not going to hurt you." The small fox only yipped back in reply as he growled and bared his teeth. Not trusting the hand that came towards him, the young fox snapped its jaws in warning at Naruto.

Pulling back his hand, he devised a new strategy; Naruto withdrew a small scroll from the interior of his jacket and opened the piece of parchment, sending chakra into the storage seal. Transpiring in a puff of smoke came out a bag of beef jerky he had been given before his mission to Kumo. Opening the bag, the ambrosial smell of salty meat wafted threw out the cave.

"Here ya go buddy; this is Chouji's best beef jerky." Naruto took a small bite then held out the rest of the spiced meat.

The fox timidly approached Naruto, still not fully trusting him quite yet. It took its time but finally stuck its nose in and began to sniff at the offering in his hand. Naruto watched as the fox investigated the beef thoroughly before tentatively deciding to eat it. Grinning, Naruto let out a small chuckle as he took a piece of beef jerky into his own mouth.

"See little guy, I'd knew you'd love it." Naruto mumbled through a mouthful of the meat.

The two sat there for a while eating their spiced meat till both were finished and satisfied. Standing to the best of his ability with regard to the restrictions of the cave, Naruto turned back towards the entrance, and waved for the kit to follow him.

"Come on fur ball, I still have a camp to collapse."

Walking out of the cave with the small fox behind him, Naruto found himself squinting from the bright rays of the morning sun. The young pup, not stopping at the entrance, suddenly ran past him, heading in the direction of his late mother. Naruto walked over and took his time before finally came to the side of the orphaned kit, and squatting down behind him. He knew he had become responsible for this fox when he decided to save him by turning him into a young Kitsune. But now when he thought about it, did he really save the fox's life or just curse him with one far worse? He had a lot to think about, but for now he thought it best to help the poor kit through this though time.

The fox had started to nuzzle its head underneath the snout of its mother, nudging her in an attempt to wake her. Naruto felt a sting in his heart as he watched the futile endeavors the fox took. Placing his hand on top of the kit's head to console him, he spoke out in sincerity to the grieving pup.

"I know it hurts to lose someone close, let alone your own mother." Naruto's own eyes dulled with the gravity of the subject as he continued. "I never got to truly know my mother. I was lucky enough once to meet her and listen to her story about how she met my father." His face began to lighten up from his somber mood as a smirk formed on the corner of his mouth. "Even about how excited both of them where to find out she was pregnant with me."

Half listening to Naruto, the fox moved aside, removing the hand from its head so it could get closer to its mother once again. In a low whimper, he began to cry as he sat over his mother's remains. Sighing, Naruto once again placed his hand on top of the fox in another attempt to comfort him. Closing his eyes he tried to think of what best to do in this situation. In an off chance the fox could understand him perfectly, but that was unlikely. He was sitting here trying to comfort a small fox and failing miserably- there had to be something he could do. Then it happened- an idea hit him.

"Always remember that she will never be truly gone as long as you remember her."

The small fox turned and looked up at Naruto, who only smiled in return as he began to perform a basic earth jutsu. Slowly the ground arose to open up beneath the mother fox, sinking her into the earth and as the dirt finished moving, it came to form a small mound in her place. The young fox looked to the dirt pile with content and sorrow in his red eyes, showing how much he was missing the ones who he had lost. Naruto, not wanting the fox to suffer, activates his next jutsu. Leaving in a flash of yellow, both he and the fox were gone, bequeathing to the earth the one thing the fox cared about most in its life.


	3. Little Shop of Horror

**A/N **– _Thank you to everyone who's read my story so far. If you've made it to chapter 3 then you must like where I'm going with this story. There is a lot more to come in this story. More and more of the upcoming war will be revealed as well as some of the problems Naruto finds with having a young Kitsune. Enjoy this chapter and please review after. Leave me a note on things you'd like to see in this story. Thanks again everyone…._

(Chapter 3)

-Little Shop of Horror-

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

In an instant both Naruto and the fox had returned to camp they had spent the night before in. Naruto pulled the triple kunai out of the ground from in front of him as he slowly stood. However, the small fox was unsteady on his own feet and collapsed to his side, panting heavily to catch his own breath. Chuckling, Naruto reached out to the downed pup to pet his side, trying to reassure the kit he would be alright.

"It's okay little guy." Naruto explained, "I guess we will have to try shorter distances before moving on to any other long distance like that one again."

Sadly though, as Naruto rubbed his side, the kit had turned its head, and bit down hard onto his desired target. Screaming loudly, Naruto fell back grabbing his injured hand, wincing in pain. Instantly Kurama laughed hysterically from her rock within her prison. Her laughter rang out into the forest around her, but more so ever, throughout her container's head.

'_Stuff it you stupid fox, this is what I was talking about!' _Naruto griped as he held onto his bloody hand as the liquid ran down his forearm.

Calming herself down from her laughter, she still showed a sly smile across her face as she readied to tease Naruto further. **"I don't know what you're talking about. I say this kit shows some real promise!" **Returning back to her laughter she could only think to herself of the upcoming future. _**'I was lucky enough to have this opportunity come around. But I never thought it would have been this fun and entertaining watching Naruto run around with his hands full.'**_

Ignoring the laughter as it faded out of his head, Naruto considered his bloody hand. "Looks like I'm back to walking on eggshells." Sighing to himself, Naruto stood and made his way to his tent. Crawling inside he grabbed his bag and pulled out his first aid kit, proceeding to wrap his injured hand in gauze.

"I'm never going to get back to the village if he keeps this up." Naruto whined. But then an idea crossed his mind and as he put his proposal into motion; grabbing another scroll from his bag, he left his tent. Stepping out, he showed no sign of caring about the kit as he headed for the river bank. Still keeping an eye on the downed fox as he walked by, he was not worried about it taking off yet again. The little fox was still panting in the field as he eyed Naruto walk by him towards the water.

Down by the river side Naruto opened up the scroll, sending chakra into its seal and releasing the fishing pole and tackle box from within. With a grin across his face he watched as the fox caught notice. Continuing with his plan Naruto cast his line, waiting to see which one would take the bait first.

"**Do you really suppose that little trick is going to work?** Letting out a light chuckle, she rolled her eyes. **"You'll have to be smarter than that to trick a fox." **Hissing out the last of her sentence, a sadistic smile crept across her face as she waited for the outcome.

"Just you wait and see. I'm betting he'll make his way over here." Naruto announced.

Just as Naruto wanted to be able to prove it, he felt a bite and tug on the pole, pulling back hard on the line, feeling the hook lodge itself in his catch. Stepping away from the shore, Naruto began to struggle with pulling back as he tried too real in the fish. Violent splashing ensued as a large trout surfaced, fighting viciously against the line in an attempt to escape. With one good pull Naruto launched the fish out of the water into the air and over his head, only for it too end up landing in the grass clearing where it flopped about on the ground. Festinated by the easy meal, the fox cub wasted no time attempting to pounce onto the fish. However, when he did, Naruto pulled back on the line, yanking the fish out of his reach. Deciding to have a little fun with the kit, he watched the fox chase after the meal as he tugged the line once in a while.

"**So that was your big plan, make him work for his food?" **Her tone held its normal malice as she ridiculed Naruto for his so-called plan that she only viewed as childish antics.

Ceasing to pull on the line anymore, Naruto laughed as the kit finally managed to pin down the large catch. Once the fish had been properly restrained and stopped moving, the fox dug in leisurely. Not one to squander, the kit tore the stomach wide open, eating the contents inside in a fury before moving onto the bits of meat.

Naruto's face turned pale as he heard his stomach churn. _'I don't think I'll be in the mood for sushi any time soon.'_

Taking in a large breath, Naruto pulled out a kunai and sighed again as he slowly walked over to the fox. Not wanting his hand to look like the fish, he waited, but with no sign of the fox caring about him encroaching on its space, he knelt down, cutting the hook out of the fish's mouth.

In no time the fox had finished his meal, forcing Naruto to cast his line once again. However, unlike the first catch, Naruto was having a harder time landing a bite. During this time the fox hadn't lost interest yet and was now sitting by Naruto's side watching the bugs fly over the moving current of water.

Finally, after much frustration, Naruto landed one, pulling it in quickly. Like before, Naruto laughed at the gaiety of the fox as it jumped in after the fish. With a smaller catch this time, Naruto hadn't bothered with yanking the fish out, seeing as the fox had dragged it out on its own. Shaking its fur dry, the fox began to eat his second meal on the banks of the river.

Looking out over of the tree canopy, Naruto considered the time of day and decided it was time to head out. He left the fox to his second helping; turning back to camp, he began the tedious regiment of packing all his gear back into their designated storage scrolls. While packing away all his gear, the fox ignored the grumbles of frustration coming from the man who saved him. He did however determine that it would be easiest to digest his food while basking in the warmth of the sun. Waddling as he made his way over the fallen tree Naruto had slept on the night before. Jumped up, he made himself comfortable lying flat on his back as his bloated stomach could easily be seen. Drifting off into a light sleep, his body seemed to relax as he curled his three tails around him. If one would guess what he might be feeling on his new life; they would be correct in thinking the young Kitsune was coming around and warming up to Naruto.

After sometime, Naruto gently nudged the sleeping kit as he tried to wake him from his slumbers. "Come on fur ball, nap time's over. We've got to start heading back to Konoha; you'll get to see your new home by tonight, I promise." The fox let out a big yawn before rolling over and curling back into his tails. Naruto fell back in disbelief. "Wha- this thing is as bad as I am when it comes to waking up!" Trying again he gently shook the fox while beginning to yell, "Wake up fuzz butt!" However, his only reply was a low growl from the groggy kit. Slapping his hand to his forehead Naruto continued to grumble in frustration. "That's the last thing I need right now; a stubborn fox who doesn't want to listen."

After a few moments as well as some other unsuccessful attempts, Naruto was frustrated with getting nowhere. "Fine, you want to play it that way; then here we go." With the aggravation apparent in his voice, Naruto scooped the fox up into his arms before leaping away into the thick woods.

Jumping from branch to branch the fox struggled against Naruto's hold and as time passed, a few new scratches and bite marks appeared. Soon enough, the dirt road from the day before came into sight.

Landing in the middle of the path, he placed the unhappy fox onto the ground and stepped back from the pissed off kit. Rubbing his arms from the soreness of the fox's assault that still lingered, he started heading down the path in the direction of home, not noticing that the fox still remained where he had placed him. After taking 20 paces or so, Naruto looked over his shoulder, shouting out to the fox. "Come on fur ball, it's this way. Don't make me carry you again." Dashing in great strides the fox returned to Naruto's side, slowing to match his pace, but still showing signs of him being upset with his sudden upheaval.

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Hours had passed and not much had happened between the two travelers. Some time ago the fox grew tired of walking and climbed up onto Naruto as he walked blindly, his nose deep into a book. With the kit comfortably draped around Naruto's neck, his tails dangled softly down the front of the jacket as one of his three tails flickered from time to time. Seeing as they were making good time Naruto decided to stop at a tea shop they came across for some snacks. He rubbed his stomach at the entrance as it began to rumble while he cursed himself for missing a proper meal.

Entering the small cozy shop, Naruto made his way over to a table and sat down onto the padded floor mat while the kit jumped from his shoulders. Not wanting the fox to run off he pulled him close to himself, wrapping an arm around it and petting the kit's side. The fox could care less as he started to look around in every direction with fascination, sniffing the air for all its oddities. Smiling, Naruto found the fox's actions amusing and thought it cute how he was always curious.

'_Guess it might not be as bad as I thought having this little fuzz ball around.'_ He thought to himself as he continued to pet the fox. Naruto watched as an elderly woman came out from a back room and over to greet them.

"Konnichiwa, my name is Mochiya." Bowing, she straightened again before continuing. "How may I help you today, sir?"'

The old woman had a large smile on, causing her eyes to squint as she still hadn't noticed the fox at Naruto's side until it yipped back his own response to her question. Being startled by the small bark, the woman jumped back in fright with her eyes growing wide. While finally spotting the fox to the man's side, her hands began to tremble as she didn't trust any fox of any kind or sort. She narrowed her eyes instantly as she looked down at the creature with distrust. Seeing how its owner kept a hand on him, she let out a breath she hadn't noticed she had been holding. Relaxing a bit, she smoothed out her clothes with steady hands and looked back up towards her customer. His brow was raised and it seemed to be that he was questioning her actions. Placing a fake smile onto her face, she tried to reassure the blond man before her. She was on a remote path that had very little travelers. She needed whatever kind of business she could get, even if that said customer had a pet fox.

"Oh, I see you have a cute little fox cub accompanying you; I take it from its answer that it must be hungry as well." She barely managed to spit out the sentence with the amount of kindness she had given it. However the man still caught on to her deception.

"Ummm... yeah." Embarrassed, he could tell the shop keeper wasn't fan of his new companion. Not wanting any problems, Naruto placed his hand behind his head nervously as he smiled. "I guess so." Paying attention to the pup under his arm, Naruto took notice of how he was cautious of the woman, keeping his ears tucked back against his head. Paying no mind to it, he carried on with his order thinking it was only because of the women being new to him.

'"Well I guess if it's not too much trouble, can you bring out a bowl of water for him," he pointed a figure at the fox at his side, "along with some rice balls and tea for me please?"'

"Right away sir, I'll have that for you in just a moment." Mochiya said as sweetly as she could manage before turning back and hurrying back to the room where she came from. Grabbing everything needed for the man's order, Mochiya quickly made up the rice balls and hurried out her kitchen with a fresh pot of tea. She wanted them gone as soon as possible but didn't want to be rude and hurry them along. She just prayed to Kami the fox didn't do anything to her or her shop.

Not long after her leave, the elderly woman returned with a tray in hand. Kneeling, she placed it onto the table, removing the contents and placing them before her customer. Afterwards, she stood and walked around the table, placing the bowl of water onto the floor. Backing up slightly, Mochiya called out to the fox for him to come and drink; however, in spite of this, the fox was being reluctant, hiding in the shelter of Naruto's jacket.

Naruto snatched up one of his rice balls and pulled it apart, tossing a piece near the shop keeper's foot to see if that might coax him out. With a grin on his face, he sat there waiting, but not for long. Within seconds the fox had poked his head out and sniffed the offering of food. In a quick blur of orange the fox had dashed towards the piece of rice ball, downing it in rapid successions until he finished, waiting for some more.

The woman's eyes went wide for a second time as she watched three tails sway behind the fox. "That's a Kitsune, is it not!?" Mochiya yelled in a raspy voice as she fought to collect herself. Breathing heavily, the woman held her hands close to her chest and after building up the courage, she knelt down to get a better view of the small fox. "I haven't seen one since I was a little girl."

The fox nevertheless paid no mind to the watchful eyes as he ate his food, only stopping to drink some water here or there. The woman continued to observe in disbelief, watching as he ate every piece Naruto would throw at him.

"I had thought all the Kitsunes where wiped out after the attack on the Hidden Leaf Village 20 years ago," Mochiya commented darkly as her face showed cynicism in regards to the small fox before her. "They had already dwindled down in numbers by then; I had wanted to believe the hunters had gotten hold of them all and ridden our lands of any trace." Standing once more she looked back at Naruto with a questionable gaze. "How did you come by finding one so young?"

"Well you see," He paused, trying to find the right words. "I kind of rescued him from a pack of wolves." He said slowly as he still debated on what the woman's feelings were concerning the fox. "And now he's kind of following me back home."

'_I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place.' _Naruto thought.

The old maid glowered at Naruto as she bided her time, collecting her thoughts. Mochiya's face hid her true feelings but when she finally spoke her voice was harsh. "Kitsunes are known for being tricksters young man, and I really do not care for them in my shop."

Feeling the weight of the woman's glare on him, he just started nodding his head, hoping the woman would leave them shortly. Looking away, he tossed another piece of rice ball aimlessly towards the floor, finding that he had lost his appetite. Mochiya continued to belittle Naruto for bringing the young fox into her shop, only causing him to tune her out from annoyance as he tapped his fingers onto the table. He was surprised to see how much this woman hated Kitsunes and wondered what might have happened to her. He didn't like to see people full of hate knowing where that might lead someone. But this woman was so full of hate for the spirit foxes it was unnerving.

'_I was right when I got a bad feeling from this old hag.'_ Closing his eyes he tried harder to tone out the frustrated shop keeper's rants in hopes that she would just go away. _'I just don't feel like hearing her opinion anymore.'_ In an attempt to steady his nerves, he opened his eyes, inhaling the aroma of his tea as he sipped on it. Glancing back to the woman he tried listening to her rant on and on about Kitsunes' behaviors until he heard her mention rescuing a fox when she had been a little girl.

"Wait!" Naruto yelled quickly, stopping her in a hurry as he about knocked over the tea still on the table. "Tell me about this fox that you had saved!" He asked hastily in hopes that the experience told to him might help better understand Mochiya's hatred.

Mochiya just huffed out in annoyance; her arms flung wildly to her sides as she felt her slight irritation of the boy building to infuriation. "Well boy if you stop interrupting me, I could finish tellin' ya," She bellowed while crossing her arms and turning her head to look away, not wanting to even acknowledge her customer's question.

Naruto sighed while he rubbed at his forehead; he hated formality, especially to people he disliked. "_Moushiwake arimasen_ _deshita_ Mochiya-sama." Bowing low, he waited a second before lifting his head and continuing. "Please have a seat; I would like to hear this story of your childhood." Swinging his arm out gracefully, Naruto directed her to the seat across from him. Holding his arm out, he waited to see if this ruse of kindness would work on the old bat; hoping that she would take up his offer to join him.

Glancing back at Naruto from the corner of her eye, the elderly woman was somewhat impressed at the unfamiliar Leaf-nin. She had encountered plenty of ninja from the leaf village and knew they had been taught some manners at the academy; however, after owning a shop for over 50 years, she also knew just as well that not every village taught such things to their Genin.

"Very well then, I see you at least have some manners." Strolling towards the offered seat, she took her time, only for her to pour herself a cup of tea.

As she sipped on the sweet brew she finally spoke in a muted voice as almost like she wanted no one to hear; even though the shop was completely empty. "It was during the time I was ether six or seven years of age." looking passed Naruto to the sunny meadow across from her shop, she dazed out to see the light midday breeze making the tall grass dance side to side in its ever changing direction upon the grassy hillside. "I had been playing in a field outside of my village on a sunny day much like today…"

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

**(Flashback)**

A young Mochiya was running along the grasslands of her village. A handful of flowers waved around in the girl's hand as she laughed while chasing butterflies. As she neared the tree lines she happened to hear the cries of a small creature. Cautiously, she crept inward towards the darkening forest, slowly walking across the uneven ground. Rounding a tree, she froze in place as the sight that laid before her made her scream. Hanging from a branch was a white fox with its foot caught in a snare. The helpless creature flailed about, crying as the rope dug in further.

Wasting no time Mochiya calmed her nerves as she followed the rope. Locating where it was tied, she undid the knot, dropping the fox to the ground. Abolishing the snare instantly to bits of hemp, the fox then slowly made its way to the young girl.

"**Thank you for your assistance,"** the fox spoke softly as it bowed its head. **"To show my gratitude I would like to give you a gift."**

The young girl lit up with a smile across her face too big to fit, "Really? That would be so much fun Mr. Fox!" she said happily while jumping in place, growing more enthusiastically as time went by.

The fox put on a smile of his own as he turned away from the young child. Looking back over his shoulder he spoke once more.** "Just wait here and I'll be right back with your reward." **

The young girl nodded her head frantically as she watched the fox disappear. Once out of sight Mochiya plopped down onto the ground, crossing her legs and waiting anxiously for the fox to return, wondering what he might get her.

After some time had passed, the white fox emerged from the blanket of the forest shrubbery. In its mouth he carried a small basket full of apples along with a small brown bag with a gold rope tying it shut. For the second time that day Mochiya's eyes went wide, with her large smile following soon after. Never had anyone been this kind to her, most people just ignored her: the small orphaned girl who lives in the back of the school house. She didn't have any friends; all the other kids would make fun of her for being alone. Most times she would run back to her futon in the corner and cry after the other kids had made fun of her. She didn't remember much about her parents only that they had died in the second shinobi war. Now the one person she had in her life was her teacher, Miss Omioto. She was a kind woman and had looked after her ever since she was younger; teaching her how to take care of herself when she was alone.

Bouncing off the ground the girl ran up to the fox, bowing her head as she stopped in front of him. "Arigato!" She exclaimed, looking back up at the fox; she admired the beauty of his white coat while she held a smile, waiting on the fox to say something more.

Placing the basket before the girl and keeping the small bag by his feet; he studied the child who only came to his shoulder while sitting. Her young innocence intrigued him as he watched her inhale the first apple with much pleasure. She appeared frail and fatigued, yet she devoured the apple with so much vigor; he figured that this was more than likely the first real meal she might have had in some time. Taking notice of the condition the girl's clothes as they were tattered and torn, he hoped that what else he had left behind for the girl would improve the quality of her life.

Pleased with himself he turned to leave the girl to her apples, leaving the small bag where it lied. With one last glance back at the child, he knew then, that more than likely, that child had saved his life. In a low whisper he thanked her once more out of earshot, than disappeared into the shadows of the thick woodlands.

**(End Flashback)**

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Mochiya had rambled on; putting in much more detail then Naruto had expected to hear from someone her age. So he sat there listening to the old woman's childhood story of how she befriended a fox, but as the fox walked away in the story, Naruto became confused; not fully sure if he had missed something, he figured this had been a good encounter with the fox thus far.

'_So why do I still get the feeling she hates Kitsunes?' _Naruto thought as he paid attention to the old coot. Pouring another cup of tea for himself, he pondered that thought until she mentioned how the fox had disappeared, leaving her with the basket of apples and a small brown bag. '_If the fox did not injure her or threaten her life in anyway, what had made her hate them so much?' _he thought as he scratched at his chin. He needed to ask her something, but as he chewed on his lip, he wondered if it was really wise to say anything at all. Removing his hand from his jaw, he held out two fingers in the air as he interrupted Mochiya for the second time.

"If I may ask, this story doesn't sound like a bad encounter at all." Naruto returned his hand to his chin and lightly tugged at the hair he now was letting grow in. "He even thanked you with a bushel of apples." Reaching out onto the table, he grasped his cup of tea off the table… "However I am still wondering, what was in the bag that he left?" returning his eyes back toward Mochiya; he was surprised by her reaction.

Mochiya had scrunched her brow in what seemed to be a frustrated contemplation. Not having any patience left, she slammed her frail hands onto the table spilling the contents of liquid into Naruto's lap. Standing quickly, she yelled out over the table, pointing a finger at her customer. "Yes it is, if you'd have let me finish, I could have told you what happened when I returned to my village!" Mochiya turned her head to avoid looking at Naruto any further. She shouldn't have lost her cool so easily, but she couldn't stop herself. She had never treated any customer like this, even though she had many bad apples in her shop. However ever since this man had entered her shop, she had a deep pain in the pit of her stomach; it felt almost like rage. It scared her, she had no idea what was coming over her.

Swallowing hard, she tried to speak in a normal manner as best as she could. "When I had finally gone home that evening I found my school teacher crying. Those apples happened to be stolen from a street cart where the owner had reported the theft. Miss Omioto had informed me that I was witnessed to eating the apples…" Closing her eyes, she could feel a single tear roll down her face. "As for your question about the bag; I hadn't realized the fox had left it till I was about to leave. When I released the string that tied it, I was astonished to see it full of gold coins." More tears started to form in the old woman's eyes as they seemed to dual on the thought. "I was arrested and blamed for the theft of the money. My punishment was to be banished from my village and sent to some noble family to become a servant girl."

Naruto felt horrible after seeing Mochiya break down; however he was still conflicted between the two sides. Yes, the fox had stolen the apples and the money, giving them both to the young little girl. But the fox wouldn't have known what would have happened to the girl once she had returned to her village. Plagued with the feeling that the fox was being truly sincere, he asked the only question he had on his mind.

"Do you really think the fox wasn't appreciative of the fact you saved his life Mochiya-san? He might have stolen your gifts, but I believe he was very thank-full of you saving him. He had no intentions on ruining your life Mochiya-san." Ending his sentence in a matter-of-fact manner rather than questionable manner sent the old woman into another fit.

"Yes, I do. I still feel as that fox deceived me!" She yelled, crossing her arms and turning away from Naruto. With her back towards him she spoke in a firm voice as she fought against the rage building in her gut. "I'm sure he laughed at me as he walked away, a poor little girl, leaving me with the consequences."

A moment had passed to where either side said nothing and Naruto felt like he had lost this battle and turned his attention to where he had last seen the fox. Upon looking down, his jaw fell open from disbelief. He began to frantically look around him as he sought any trace of where the fox might have gone. This isn't good he thought; anything that fox did would send Mochiya over the edge.

Meanwhile the elderly shop keeper felt better as she steadied her breathing. Her body felt more normal and feeling like enough time had passed, she proceeded to kick her customer out, clearing her throat to grab his attention. "Now if you are through, sir, your bill is four hundred yen." Waiting, she tapped her fingers across her arm as she became unsatisfied without a reply from Naruto. Turning on her heels quickly, she was about to belittle Naruto further but she stopped herself upon noticing his attention wasn't even on her anymore. She felt the rage build inside her once more at the fact that the young man refused to even acknowledge her after listening to her story.

Unable to hold it back any further the woman let out a blood-curdling shriek causing Naruto, who at that moment was looking under his table, to thump his head on the edge. Glaring back up at Mochiya, he rubbed the back of his head, feeling where the bump had already started forming. Even more alarming was the fact he felt an all too familiar chakra signature, but it wasn't coming from the small fox. As he studied Mochiya's body language, he could tell there was something wrong with her. Then he saw it, the slow transformation of her nails growing out into claws fallowed by the color of her eyes shifting to a vibrant crimson.

Not taking any risks, Naruto unsnapped one of his vest pockets, pulling out two pieces of parchment, along with a small ink vat and brush. With still no sign of the fox, he became worried for the woman's condition as he figured she hadn't noticed her body start to change. Trying not to make it apparent, he started to scan the room once more for any sings of the fox, all while he quickly wrote down the symbols to form a chakra absorption seals onto the strips of paper. He could wait till later to try and figure out how she had become infused with some of the demon's chakra, but for now he just needed to act quickly on removing the Kyuubi's chakra from her system.

Unfortunately Mochiya noticed his behavior under her examination, bringing her attention to the fact the fox was no longer by their sides. Realizing that the fox was running amuck in her shop, she lost all control. Instantly she felt an awful presence wash over her conscience, hearing a sadistic laughter in the shadows of her own mind. Nothing mattered to her anymore as she listened to the voice inside her; she had to find the kit who she hated so much! Every inch of her body was telling her to rip the fur from its body and leave only pieces of flesh behind.

"Where did it go?!" Mochiya screamed, a grim smile forming on her face as she tossed her head side to side looking for the fox. "Where did that little trickster get to now? I'm going to leave no trace of him but blood stains upon my floors!" Making her way back in the direction of her kitchen, the elderly woman shrieked upon opening the door. "My kitchen!"

Reacting fast, Naruto leapt towards the back room with great speed, halting in front of Mochiya, ready to block any attack she might aim at him or the kit. Expecting the worst, the blond Jounin was surprised at what he found inside the rather large kitchen. Looking back over his shoulder he came to see the fox head deep in a pot of cooked rice he'd knocked over. There was now rice all over the floor in front of him along with clumps of the cooked grain on the countertops.

Backing out of the pot revealed to him just how much the fox had enjoyed the food he found. Little bits and pieces stuck to his face and paws as he shifted to sit on the counter top. Barking playfully, he left his mouth ajar with a grin across his face as he looked from one person to another. Still frozen in his spot, Naruto felt the elderly woman try to push past him, causing him to snap out of his daze. He held back Mochiya as he looked at the ferocity in her face. Realizing that they needed to get out of there, he slapped one of the seals onto her chest and tried to draw out the Kyuubi's chakra from her body. Unfortunately, Mochiya grabbed Naruto's arm and flung him to the side before the seal could have any affect.

"Hey fur ball, get your ass out of here before this woman gets a hold of you!" Glaring at Mochiya, he waited for the fox to make his move.

Yipping back in reply the fox lapped up what was left on its snout and jumped down in the direction of the door. In spite of this, the old hag grabbed for her set of kitchen knives. Throwing the first knife, she only missed the fox by a mere two inches causing the fox to freeze where he stood. Now with an easy target, she didn't hesitate to throw her two remaining knives.

Countering quickly, Naruto threw shuriken to knock the knives away. Glairing once more he yelled at the frightened creature. "Gets your ass moving, I won't tell you again baka!" Jumping in front of the kit, he gave him a way out towards the door as he readied himself to with strain the elderly woman.

With her attempts all failing, Mochiya grabbed the only thing she had left at her disposal; her broom. She glared at the fox…"You're not going to make this easy are you, vermin?" She then positioned the broom on the floor and stomped down on the head, breaking it into a make-shift wooden spear. Blocking the only escape, Mochiya rushed the fox.

Trying to avoid the attack coming at him, the fox dashed left while the woman stabbed out with the broom handle. Adjusting her aim mid-strike, she came close to hitting him, but the fox being quick on his feet took action. Making a hard right turn, the wooded stake faintly scratched him as he ran for his life, passing between the legs and dress of the elderly shop owner, knocking her over in the process.

Naruto was astonished at the fox's actions as he watched the small creature run out the kitchen, barking up a storm. Not losing his focus, Naruto took the other seal he created and placed it on Mochiya's chest while pinning her to the floor. He was amazed at how strong the frail woman seemed to be and not wanting to wait any longer; Naruto pulled out the demon chakra that flooded Mochiya's system. She began to scream while her limbs went rigid and flailed about. Fighting to keep her still and his hand on the seal, he finally finished pulling it all out of her. She suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed limply to the floor. Her breathing began to steady while her fingers returned to normal. Naruto sighed in heavy relief as he stood up and back away from the body. Despite the seal still on her chest, he felt no signs of the Kyuubi's chakra and knew then, that her anger for Kitsunes influenced her rage allowing somehow for the Kyuubi's chakra to infect her. He didn't like what this seemed to be leaning towards, but for now, he couldn't be sure until he got back home. 

Opening up his frog wallet he pulled out a wad of cash and placed it onto the counter next to him. Turning on his heels, Naruto quickly fled the tea shop to chase after the fox, screaming obscenities at the round of luck he had while running down the dirt road chasing after the fox.

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Further down the road, Naruto had finally caught sight of the fox sitting beside a tree. He was relaxing, hiding in the cool shade that cascaded around its trunk. Feeling tired himself after his unexpected adventure at the tea shop; Naruto flopped down next to the fox. Leaning up against the tree, he situated himself till he was comfortable, as the fox came over to lie across his legs contentedly. Watching as the kit slowly drifted off to sleep in his lap, he sat under the shady tree for a short time. He was enjoying the gentle breeze that would pick up from time to time and the different scents that would blow over the meadows. He came to enjoy the company of the small kit, especially seeing as he hasn't had his hand chewed on in a few hours.

Nevertheless, as he sat there, he wondered about the shop keeper. _'How did she come to have the Kyuubi's chakra in her? Was it something the kit influenced on her perhaps?_' He knew it had to be connected to the young Kitsune, but he just didn't want to think about what happened to Mochiya being related to the fox that slept in his lap. Wishing he could go back to check on her, Naruto knew it just wasn't worth the risk of exposing the elderly woman to the fox again.

Deciding he had been there long enough and feeling well rested, Naruto lightly picked the fox up into his arms, waking the kit up momentarily. Naruto situated the fox around his neck, and began to make his way down the path once more. Surveying the dirt road before him, he wanting nothing more than to make it home by nightfall, and as he continued on with his journey back to Konoha he slowly faded away into the distant horizon of the wooded landscape…

_**Translations:**_

_**Moushiwake arimasen deshita:**_This is a very formal expression of apology. It shows a stronger feeling toward the individual being asked forgiveness then the normal expression of _**Sumimasen deshita.**_

_**Mochiya: **_roughly translates form the Japanese Romaji word into -_** "rice cake shop keeper" **_or_** "rice cake store" **_


	4. Finally Home

**Disclaimer** I do not own Naruto; I only take credit for my own originality…

**(Chapter 4)**

**-Finally Home-**

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Naruto and the small fox had been traveling for hours through Fire Country, fallowing the twisting dirt road that would eventually lead them to Konoha's East Gate. With the kit waking up shortly after the duo had left the shade of the tree, the young Kitsune had alternated between trailing and leading Naruto down the path. With the trip lacking any excitement, said blond had turned to reading a book on _Fuuinjutsu_ techniques as he walked aimlessly towards Konoha. Being uneventful thus far, the kit decided to have a little fun to pass the time. Suddenly without warning he launched a playful attack against Naruto. Running around in circles, kicking up dust in the process, he nipped at the jacket and pants Naruto wore. This had caused our blond friend to put down his book and return an attack of his own. Dashing to the side of the small fox, Naruto scared him enough to leap out of the way and bark franticly as he escaped.

"Come here fur ball!" Naruto laughed as he chased around the fox, "I'll get you eventually!"

Daylight had started to fade on the two as the sun dipped behind the landscape. The sky lit up above them with various shades of pinks and oranges in the clouds that scattered gracefully across the area. Keeping in mind the time of day, Naruto decided he would rather take a short cut over the next set of hills than follow the path around them. Wanting to know what the kit was capable of doing as he suddenly picked upped his pace and took off down the road leaving a puzzled young fox behind.

"If you're so fast, then let's see you catch!" Grinning, Naruto disappeared over the hill line.

The fox, not wanting to be out done, barked his reply as he followed suit; running as fast as his little legs would allow. Pushing himself further, the fox continued to trail behind Naruto and his cloud of kicked up dust. As Naruto crested the last hill before Konoha, he came to an abrupt stop. The young fox not realizing this before it was too late crashed into the backside of Naruto's legs sending him into the air. As he recovered, Naruto looked around himself to see the fox further up the trail unconscious. Approaching the downed fox, Naruto picked up his young companion to look him over.

"Playing possum are we?" Naruto grinned as he saw the fox lift one eyelid before licking him across the face over and over, finishing off with barking once he felt he had licked enough. Naruto, grossed out by his sudden wash, placed the fox onto his shoulder before ensuing to scratch the fur on top of his head.

"Come on kit, let's just go home now, it's getting late."

Out before him, was the view of the entire village in the near distance. After the attack by Pain almost four years ago, the city's landscape had drastically altered. Their fight left deep scars upon the earth, for now a cliff circled throughout the city that left majority of it inside a large depression. The rebuilding of the almost totally destroyed Konoha, had been as strenuous as the war itself. It had taken three hard, long, painful years, but they had made it. Most of the destroyed buildings had been rebuilt and life was slowly getting back to normal. Finally, their beloved village, once more, stood in its proud glory. Even though it looked different from before, it was still home to the many that lived there.

Admiring the scene before them, the two watched the heavens over Konoha for some time as the colors changed from a deep blue of twilight, to a purple as the night skies emerged behind the clouds.

"You know, I still need to give you a name fur ball." Grinning, a thought crossed his mind. "Perhaps someone in the village could help me out with that."

Resting his hand on the fox's head, he began to scratch behind the kit's ear as he started to walk again towards his village. Naruto was relieved to see the fox's enthusiasm of his new home as all three of his tails swayed behind him. The pair watched as the lights of the city flicker to life in their nightly routine. He was still worried about the events from earlier that day, but Naruto couldn't find anything in his books that could explain what happened to the old shop keeper. He would have to visit the village library in hopes of finding something that could account for her change. He had a nagging feeling it involved the young fox on his shoulder, but would have to dig a little deeper to find out just how this Kitsune played a part. He pushed those thoughts aside for the time being, he was just glad that the foxes attitude towards him had changed for the better.

"Glad to see your fuzzy ass is looking forward to staying here!" Laughing momentarily, he suddenly stopped as his face went pale and realization hit him like a ton of bricks. _'I still need to tell Baa-san about this whole incident with the fox.'_ A cold chill slowly ran up his spine over the thought. _'Somehow I don't really see her being too sympathetic...'_

Dreading his future conversation with the _Godaime Hokage_ more and more, Naruto decided one more stop couldn't hurt his chances with his adoptive grandmother. Holding onto the kit, they both flashed out of existence and seconds later landed silently in an alley way. Instantly, the hand Naruto held the fox with was bitten by an unhappy Kitsune.

"Ouch!" Naruto yelled as he pulled his hand out of the kits mouth, "Stop doing that!" His only reply was a low growl from his partner while he heard the settle laughter of Kurama in his head.

"**I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing that."** She said sarcastically

"I don't need to hear your remarks right now" Naruto replied irritably. Pulling the pup off of his shoulder, Naruto unsealed his travelers cloak from a scroll and pulled its hood over his head.

"Just stay quiet fur ball, and I'll treat you to some ramen. I don't want a repeat of what happened at the tea shop!" The fox simply yipped softly, confirming he understood as he was hidden under the cloak.

Emerging from the shadows of the alley, Naruto rounded the corner to see one of his favorite places in Konoha, _Ichiraku Ramen_; the best place to eat in Naruto's opinion. The once little stand had grown to become a small restaurant during the remodeling of the village, and as he approached the building, he pulled back the tapestry slightly, and scanned the restaurant's floor. Deeming it was safe, he made his way towards the back, quickly passing his normal spot at the counter, and taking a seat at a table in the corner.

He was all too thankful no one noticed him when he had made his way across the shop. Sitting on the back bench that faced the entrance, Naruto examined the shop once again. He didn't have to wait too long to be alone, as shortly after sitting the last two people left, leaving the shop empty. Lowering his hood finally, he let the small fox jump out from his hiding spot to sit on the bench curled up beside him.

With the fox no bigger than an average house cat, he easily hid behind Naruto's thigh. He sat there curiously and peaked over his master, and observed everything he could see from below the table. From the distance he watched as a brown haired woman came from behind the counter and start clearing off a few of the smaller tables. Tilting his head side to side inquisitively, he sniffed the air and rather enjoyed the smell he got off of the woman. Now with his tails flicking wildly like tree branches in a heavy storm, he yipped softly in excitement; wanting nothing more but for the woman to come over closer. Yipping out once more, but just loud enough to catch Ayame's ear, caused the waitress to turn in their direction.

"Oh, Naruto-kun!" Ayame exclaimed surprisingly as she looked over at Naruto stunned. "I didn't even see you come in. Let me finish cleaning these tables and I'll come take your order."

"Thanks Ayame-nee-san, I'm starving after my long journey!" Naruto replied happily as he rubbed his stomach childishly.

He didn't like the fact the fox just vocalized his presence once again. Fighting to take off his cloak as he sat on the bench, he managed to do so as he used it to better conceal the young kit beside him. However, the fox wasn't happy having the heavy jacket on top him. Repeatedly, Naruto tried to fix it as the troublesome Kitsune kept slipping it off himself. After several failed attempts to keep him under the cloak, Naruto finally gave up out of frustration. He could simply tell the fox was just as hungry as he was, and as Ayame neared their table, Naruto pulled the cloak over once again and reminded the kit of what he had said before.

"Don't move, I don't want to hear a peep from you fur ball" Naruto said in a hushed voice, "I won't get you any food tonight if you start any problems." Turning his attention away he smiled as Ayame approached, all while praying to Kami the fox to remain still under his jacket.

"Hey Naruto-kun, how have ya been doing?"

"I'm good, but right now I'm starving, nee-san!" Naruto replied humorously as his stomach growled. "I just got back from _Kumo_."

"Well I hope you didn't run into any complications with your mission Naruto-kun." Smiling, she pulled out a pad of paper and then a pen from behind her ear.

Glancing at his cloak for an instant wearily, Naruto answered Ayame confidently, "Not anything I couldn't handle." Laughing, Naruto noticed his cloak beginning to shift, so he quickly placed his hand over it. Feeling the fox fight to relocate itself under his grasp, he made no notion of the pain he found himself in when the fox bit down on his hand from within the cloak.

"Now, what can I get for our best customer this evening?" Ayame asked with a grin as she stole that moment to catch a quick look at whatever Naruto was hiding.

"Can I have two bowls of Miso pork with extra meat, marinated bamboo shoots, and some fish cake toppings?" Bringing his hurt hand to his chin, he thought over his order while seeing if all his fingers where still there. "Hmm, is that going to be enough to start off with?" He said casually, trying his best to remain normal. Suddenly, his cloak shifted once more, and he quickly brought his hand down to stifle the fox, he turned to face Ayame with a smile and added one more to his order. "Also, I'll take one bowl of Shio with extra chicken please."

"No problem, it'll be right up." Turning, Ayame made her way to the kitchen with Naruto's order. _'I wonder what it could be that he's hiding'_, she thought as she made her way into the back and handed over the order to her father. '_It better not be one of his toad summons, I told him before I don't want those slimy things in my shop!' _

Back outside the kitchen however, Naruto still held his hand firmly on his traveler's cloak even after watching Ayame leave and disappear. Seeing as no one else was left in the restaurant, Naruto pulled the cloak off to let the small fox come up for some air.

"You really need to stop gnawing on my hand pipsqueak."

Jumping up from his seat and placing his paws on the table edge, the kit was just tall enough to look over the top. The young pup peered out and around the ramen shop, curious of his new surroundings, or at least, the parts he hadn't seen yet from underneath.

With the heavy smells of food in the air, he became fixated on the kitchen as another whiff of fresh soup made its way to their table. His three tails rapidly swayed behind him like before as he grew impatient for his meal. Drool now dripping from his mouth; he started licking his lips, causing Naruto to laugh a bit at his actions. Eventually he started to whimper and began to shuffle around on the bench seat as he grew more and more restless as time went by.

"Just you wait fur ball, it will all be worth it!" Naruto said enthusiastically as he patted the fox's back. The small fox purred in reply while still hooked on the aroma escaping from the kitchen.

Elsewhere, with her curiosity peeking, Ayame determined it wouldn't hurt to spy on Naruto. Not many customers knew, but when they had built the new restaurant they installed ways to view out from the kitchen in secret. In a village full of ninja, they had picked up a few tricks that helped them in the shop. Opening a small viewing door on the wall, Ayame studied Naruto from her hidden location.

Gasping, her eyes went wide with astonishment; she stepped back momentarily until she went back to gaze out once more for a better look. "That's not one of his summonses!" She knew then that this wasn't something she'd let Naruto get away with not telling her about, and as she grabbed the three bowls, she put together her game plan…

Just as fast as she had promised, Ayame came out from the back room with the food in hand. Quickly, Naruto pulled the fox back and draped his cloak back over him; all while keeping a firm hand on the fox. Pleading with _Kami,_ he just hoped this all to turn out better than the tea shop earlier that day.

Ayame carried a tray with all three dishes on it, and as she approached Naruto's table, she went over her plan to get a better look at what she figured to be a young fox. She had thought it was so cute on how it could barely look over the table's edge, but she still wondered why Naruto kept going through the trouble of hiding him from her. Holding back a grin from the corner of her mouth, she placed the food onto the table in front of Naruto and carefully snuck a look to his cloak.

Naruto, not wanting to wait any longer, brought the first bowl close to him, closed his eyes, and knelt over the steaming broth so he could inhale the salty aroma of his favorite treat. Straightening back up with an enormous smile on his face, Naruto clapped his hands together and chanted, "Itadakimasu!" After giving his thanks, he snapped his chopsticks free, and began to inhale his first bowl.

Ayame couldn't keep her curiosity at bay any longer; it was now time for her plan to go into action. Sitting down across from Naruto, she pulled off her bandanna, and let her hair fall around her face. Leaning backwards, she rested her head on the back of the bench and let out a long sigh of relief as she looked up at the celling. Without even glancing over at Naruto, she proceeded to bait him into telling her about the fox he was hiding.

"So Naruto-kun, how have things been lately between you and Sakura-chan?" Ayame asked slyly. "I hear you're not getting along too well with the cat she got last month." Sneaking a look momentarily, from the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto choke on his mouthful of soup. "Something about you being clawed to death last time you were over at her place." Placing a hand over her mouth she giggled as she noticed the tick forming on his brow.

"That kitten is worse than Tora, the Feudal Lord's wife's cat from all those years ago." He said gruffly. "I remember at the time I thought he was the worst house cat to ever walk the Fire Country!" Grinning, he chuckled to himself. "That was until I met Sakura's new pet. In fact, I think this kitten might be going after Tora's title of meanest cat ever."

Remembering the feline that tormented him back when he was a Genin brought a smile to his face as it reminded him of what it was once like to be on team seven. "It would figure that Sakura-chan would get a pet like him; she was the only one to get along with Tora" Laughing, he picked up another mouthful of pork and noodles and continued stuffing his face.

Laughing, Ayame lifted her head up and snuck another look to Naruto's side. "That kitten can't be that bad Naruto-kun, maybe it's just scared in its new surroundings…"

Laying her head back once more, she began to lose herself in her own thoughts momentarily. _'Speaking of Sakura, I wonder when these two will become an official couple. She's been gone for so long and has only gotten back from _Ishigakure_ last month.' _Glancing over at her client, she smiled as she watched him enjoy his meal.'_Sakura's venture took almost as long as Naruto's training did years ago with that old pervert Jiraiya. I hope that time apart from each other hasn't dwindled their chances at being happy together. But then again, there is always a chance Hinata and him will get back together. Who knows, I'm no match maker like Ino' _Still wanting to see the kit up close, Ayame left those thoughts alone and continued on with what she thought would better her chances of actually getting a glimpse of the little tyke.

"So how about you Naruto-kun, do you plan on getting any pets in the future?" Gleefully, she watched as Naruto choked on his noodles once more, followed by a quick glace down to his side. _'I only have to push a little more and I'll have him right where I want him.' _ Broadening her smile, she laughed to herself as she watched Naruto blabber incoherently as he quickly tried to come up with some form of an answer. It was apparent to her now that he had already grown fond of his new companion, and for some reason he wanted to keep it a secret.

"Y-you know me Ayame-nee-chan, I c-couldn't have a p-pet." He stuttered, worried if somehow she had seen the fox earlier. "I live too busy of a lifestyle to have to take care of something back home."

Trying not to make it apparent, he returned his hand to the surprisingly well-behaved fox. He hadn't felt it shift beside him in some time and figured he took a liking to being concealed with people around. He slowly snaked his hand into the folds of the cloak and when he felt nothing, he panicked, his distress apparent in his eyes.

Ayame though, didn't catch the change in his demeanor, and continued on with the conversation at hand. "I'm not saying you should get a cat like Sakura-chan, but maybe you could have something that could follow you around, almost like the _Inuzuka_ Clan and their ninja hounds."

'_Shit. Where did that stupid fox get off to this time?' _Naruto panicked, completely ignoring what Ayame had just said. He directed his head to the side; trying his best to be as casual as could be as he searched for the fox. Nevertheless, before he had any chance of locating him, the little escape artist jumped up into Ayame's lap.

Screaming suddenly as the fox made his presence known, Ayame came to look down at the young pup smiling back at her. Smashing his face into her torso, he began to purr while rubbing his head from side to side across her stomach, only stopping when Ayame squealed in delight.

"Oh _Kami_, he's so cute! What's his name, Naruto?" She asked while lifting the small fox up to her face. "Why would you ever want to keep something so adorable hidden?" She started laughing when he began to lick her in the face furiously while yipping playfully.

Sighing in relief, Naruto rather enjoyed seeing the fox play with someone else other than him. He was beginning to worry after the situation at the tea shop that the pup would need time to be around people.

"Glad to see you like him _nee-san_; he doesn't exactly have a great track record with shop keepers." Finishing his second bowl of Miso, he pushed the third bowl full of chicken onto Ayame's side of the table. "Eat up fur ball; we still need to go see the Hokage tonight."

"Fur ball? What kind of name is that for a pet?" She asked disapprovingly while giving him a questionable look. Placing the kit onto the table, she showed him to his bowl of food and giggled when he began to slurp up the noodles.

"He doesn't exactly have a name just yet _nee-san_; I couldn't quite come up with one." Placing his hand behind his head he smiled at her while squinting sheepishly. "Maybe you could help me out with the name?"

Bringing his hands out to hold hers, Naruto stared deeply into her brown eyes with his piercing blue orbs, a twinkle forming in one eye as he awaited her reply. "However, you'll have to keep this a secret just between us."

Blushing from his intense gaze, Ayame felt the heat rush to her face as she got lost in those sapphire blue eyes. _'Kami, I forgot how attractive Naruto-kun has become over the years, he really knows how to make a girl's heart race!' She strained her eyes for a second as _her head started to feel fuzzy. Shaking it off, she looked down to the swooping tail of the fox. That's when her head cleared and she stared in shock dropping Naruto's hand from hers. Before her was not just one bushy tail, but three tails swaying in unison, this was no ordinary fox.

"Naruto!" She screamed, pointing a finger at the fox's rear. "He has three tails; why does he have three tails Naruto?!" Shaking her head in disbelief, she quickly looked around the shop, seeing if anyone heard her scream. Luckily the shop was completely empty. Looking at the clock behind the counter; Ayame jumped up and ran to the sliding doors by the side of the entrance, and closed them quickly.

Turning around, she gave Naruto another quizzical look while backing into the closed doors. "That's not a normal fox cub is it?" Taking a deep breath she slowly made her way back to the table.

Rubbing his temples, Naruto stopped and lifted his head to stare at Ayame. "He once was." Pausing, he turned to look at the kit finishing off his bowl of ramen. "He was going to die so I took drastic measures and saved his life."

Ayame returned to sitting on the bench seat, she could tell something heavy was weighing on Naruto's mind. '_I could almost bet that's what's gotten Naruto so conflicted, it's his new mystery companion here; the fox_.' Wanting to help her adopted younger brother, someone who saved her, along with the rest of the village years ago, Ayame reached out and grabbed Naruto's left hand. "So why do you look like you're regretting making that decision?"

Naruto stiffened, he had always cared for Ayame as a sister. She was one of the first people to show him that someone cared about him; the poor orphan. He had grown up eating ramen here, while she and the old man in return had always been friendly to him. Once he became a ninja, there were countless times when he and Ayame would open up and talk about their troubles. In the past two years of Sakura being away, teaching the lower shinobi villages medical ninjutsu, he and Ayame had grown closer. He had been the one to push Iruka-sensei into asking her out to dinner one night; it had worked out so well for the two they had gotten married a little over a year later last spring.

"You know me too well Ayame. If Shikamaru were here, he'd say that it was troublesome." Laughing nervously, he looked back up into her eyes, then over to the kitchen counter. "Where did the old man run off to?"

Scrunching her brow, Ayame gave him a disproving glare. "He left once he was done with your order. He has a date tonight and had left it up to me to close the shop." Pulling her hand away, she tsk'd at him, "But that's beside the point!" waving her hand mockingly as she dismissed his curiosity. "Why is it that you feel like you shouldn't have ever interfered with this fox's life?"

With his mouth ajar, Naruto slowly pulled a smile to his face. "The old man's got a date, huh? Who did he go out with?"

Shaking her head, she grinned as she dismissed his question. "Naruto, stop avoiding the subject!" Pointing a thumb at the kit, she continued. "What aren't you telling me about him?"

Sighing, Naruto lowered his head once more. "This really must stay between us _nee-san_, I still haven't told Tsunade-sama about him just yet."

Speaking softly he began to tell her about his journey home. "He and his family were attacked by a pack of wolves in their home just outside the border to Hot Springs Country. I couldn't save him on my own; not with all that blood coming from his wounds." Looking back into Ayame's eyes, she knew that it must have been a terrible tragedy. "The Kyuubi came to me and told me a way to save the pup; to use a part of her life force to give the kit a second chance at life."

Ayame was dumbfounded. Her eyes scanned back and forth between the fox to Naruto's piercing blue eyes. Her mouth was agape as she attempted to form a tangible sentence. Her mind was starting to go fuzzy once more as she felt a warm sensation building at the pit of her stomach. As shocked as she was, she only felt lighter as the feeling filled her up more and more. Looking back towards the fox, she saw he was just sitting on the table, piercing right thru her with his molten gold eyes. Patting for him to return to her lap, she watched him break his eye contact and come towards her. She slowly dragged her fingertips down his muzzle, relaxing the kit in the process as she lost herself in the feeling. Now with her whole body tingling, she happily continued the chat about the adorable fox cub in her possession.

"How much chakra did you give him Naruto-kun?" Slurring her words behind a toothy grin, she continued to pay attention to the fox.

"A small amount; but hey, are you okay _nee-san_? You kind of sound drunk," He said, lifting one brow.

Waving him off, she slurred once more for him to not worry. "Nah, I'm okay, it has just been a long day is all!" Running a hand through the kit's tails, she came to a stop at one of the ends, holding it between her fingertips. "Why haven't you named this cutie yet Naruto? Someone as unique as him has to have a name you know" Lifting him to her face once more, the two sat there, looking deeply into one another's eyes. "What are we going to name you little guy?"

Time stood still for Ayame as the seconds ticked by. She lost herself in the feeling of bliss that filled her body, almost feeling like energy itself was radiating off the fox in her arms. Gently, a smile formed on her face as the perfect name crossed her mind.

"What do you think of _Tomokaiji_?" She asked aloud to both boys in her company.

The kit just tilted his head side to side for several seconds before barking, licking Ayame's face as he wiggled from her grasp.

"Mysterious companion," Naruto repeated as he looked at her with a contemplative expression.

"Sure why not, he's a big secret right now, and then, even when you do show him to other people, you won't tell them what you just told me."

He fell back into his seat, and leaned into the wooden bench. She was right, and he knew it. The name didn't sound all too bad to him ether, and even more, the fox seemed to approve of it as well.

"Tomokaiji it is then!" he proclaimed with a grin and a thumbs up. "Believe it!"

Laughing, Ayame let Tomokaiji down onto the table. There, he lowered his head while keeping his rear in the air. All three of his tails were moving wildly as he yipped playfully, shifting side to side across the table. Joining in on the laughter, Naruto was relieved that tonight went well. He had begun to worry that the now named fox, _Tomokaiji_, would have had to stay confined if he was any danger to the villagers. He still wanted to know more of what the fox had planned, but after tonight, he felt for the first time that the young fox was not dangerous. Little did he know, tomorrow he would be second guessing that.

"We really need to get going if I'm going to catch Tsunade-sama tonight." Sliding out from the bench, he grabbed his cloak then stretched his back, rubbing his stomach in the proses. "That was really good ramen tonight nee_-san._ How much do I owe you?"

Leaving the booth and standing as well, she scratched behind Tomokaiji's ear before turning to face Naruto. "Don't worry about tonight, it was on the house." Smiling, she picked up the empty bowls and turned to leave, after two steps, she turned back to look over her shoulder to say one final good bye. "Oh by the way Naruto, a cutie like Tomokaiji always eats here for free. Now you boys have a good night and maybe I'll see you both for lunch tomorrow"

Naruto mockingly pouted as his arms fell to his side. "Awww, that's not really fair, why does he get to be the lucky fox?" Tilting his head back to the table, he snapped his fingers, gaining Tomokaiji's attention. "Come on you lucky little devil, we've gotta' get out of here."

As though he had been trained or simply knew what was told to him, Tomokaiji jumped up onto Naruto's shoulder. Waving his good bye, Naruto vanished in a flash of yellow…

Emerging on top of the Hokage tower, Naruto checked on the kit sitting on his shoulder. Tomokaiji seemed to be doing fine now with the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_. He wasn't having any of the ill effects he had suffered the last time. Naruto was just thankful that this time around Tomokaiji hadn't bitten into his hand. Figuring that he couldn't stall much longer, he walked over to the side railing and jumped down to the narrow roof along the Hokage's office. Walking to the edge of the first window, he stealthily sat down and admired the faces of the previous Hokages carved upon the mountain as they glowed in the pale moon light. He waited to see when he would be noticed, but until then he would just enjoy the company he had.

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Tsunade sat behind her desk going over some last minute paper work before she called it quits for the night. Relieved to be nearly done, Tsunade placed her paperwork into a pile and opened a hidden drawer to the left of her desk.

"Ahh, just what the doctor ordered," Pleased with herself; she poured some sake into a saucer. Downing it quickly, she glanced over at her paperwork out of the corner of her eye and pouted.

"It's sad, tomorrow there'll be just as much paper work as there was today…" Groaning, she poured another shot and went back to work.

After some time had passed, Tsunade was about to finish reading the last of her documents for the day. However she stopped short of the last paragraph, a grin creeping onto her face.

"You can come out now, I know you're there Naruto!" Putting down her pen, she turned her attention to one of her windows, her smile broadening as she watched her favorite blond-headed ninja peek out from around the window frame.

"How's it going _Baa-san_?" Grinning himself, Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Anything good happen while I was gone?"

"Not really, it's just been a handful of low ranked missions." Slouching in her seat, the Hokage poured herself another drink. "How was your mission?"'

Turning to once again face the monument**, **Naruto ran his fingers down the back of Tomokaiji, causing the fox to purr in appreciation. "The mission was a success!" he boasted loudly, "The client got to Kumogakure safe!" laughing as he finished it wasn't till moments later as they sat in silence, that he lost the joy in his face as he ridded his voice of any glee, and spoke once more in earnest. "Now, referring to the underlining mission you sent me on." Hesitating, he reflected on what he was going to tell her. "The information gathered by Sai and his team mate should help the Raikage with the problem on the western coast." Turning his head slightly, he looked at Tsunade from the corner of his eye. "Also, as you had asked, I kept an eye out for any signs why the messenger birds have not been getting through to Lighting Country. In the narrow neck of Frost Country, I had sent out clones and found a few dead hawks. Not much remained of the corpses, but I could tell that they all had been cut down in flight." Returning his gaze back to the Hokage faces, he chewed on his lower lip.

Naruto had stopped for the moment to ruminate about what had been bothering him since he read the full contents of the documents. Naruto sighed before finally mustering the questioned he had in mind. "Why did Sai come back to the village and not just take this information straight to the Raikage? I thought Karasu reported to the leader of whatever country they were in. If he had gotten that information sooner, he might have been able to prevent all those villagers killed in that small town." His voice was soft and full of sorrow.

Sighing, but with a small curl off the corner of her lips, Tsunade hid the fact she admired Naruto's standings on human life. He hated killing, and still to this day he would rather change a person's views then end their life. _'One day it will make him into a fine Hokage.'_Tsunade thought before she spoke in a neutral tone; her voice as cool as spring water.

"It was because of who the leader of this group is." She started, "He's a former leaf ninja named Masuki. He once was a part of Danzo's ROOT program."

"That wasn't in the report I handed to the Raikage." Naruto replied lifting one brow.

"Mainly because we had originally thought Masuki to be dead; killed years ago when he deserted the village." A scowl now shown on her face and her voice was no longer calm. "We had only found out that he was still alive and leading this new group of his when I got Sai's report. He had said in the scroll he'd recognized the man from before, though he also include that his men did not seem to be found of his plans. He went on to explain the small fighting between Masuki's men."

Placing her hand under her chin while crossing her arms, she thought about what little was known about the man. _'I'm getting a bad feeling from all this movement Masuki has taken out in the open. I know there must be more that he's still hiding.' _

"What do we all know about this man?" Naruto asked after he had enough of the silence.

Leaning back in her chair, Tsunade closed her eyes as she brought herself out of her thoughts. "There is not much information regarding Masuki. Sadly, Sai didn't have any socialization with him in ROOT so nothing is known about his time there." Bringing herself up, she stood and made her way to the windowsill. "Furthermore, his goals are still unclear and we are having no luck infiltrating his organization other than with Sai's ink creatures."

"I see," Naruto replied as he unknowingly started to scratch Tomokaiji behind his ear. This action was not missed by Tsunade, giving her a good idea of why Naruto was biding his time outside her window. She couldn't place a finger on it but something in the air told her something was different about this fox cub. However, Naruto thought of another question and continued on before she could figure out the feeling she was having.

"Do we know anything about where he might have been hiding these past four years?"

Grinning, the Hokage decided to leave the matter of the fox alone for the time being. She would bring it up to Naruto soon enough, right now however; she wanted his input of this new enemies' actions. She had come to enjoy these times with him, when both would discuss the info gathered from missions. Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle mentally at the fact that the hyperactive, loud-mouthed kid who challenged her over seven years ago has now grown up to be such an admirable shinobi. She'd be more than happy to hand over the reins to all that paper work that came along with the title of Hokage, but first she wanted to wait and make sure Naruto was ready for that task.

"It appears from the report I've read from another _Karasu_ member that they were using one of Orochimaru's hidden bases in the mountains of Fang Country." Tapping her fingers upon the wooden sill, it was apparent in her face, the worry she had for the growing situation, as she forward her brow and a slight frown hung on her lips. "Sadly we didn't discover this until they had already moved out and started causing problems, like raiding and attacking small villages on the coast of Lighting Country."

Naruto crossed his arms and thought about what he had just learned. Not much was known about this new enemy and that made him feel uneasy. The fact that Masuki was able to gather a small army and keep both him and his men undiscovered for so many years reminded him of Akatsuki. Sighing to himself, Naruto felt some weight grow upon his shoulders as he imagined dark times ahead if Masuki was not taken care of soon enough. The added fact of what Kurama had shared with him the night before didn't help his case ether.

Glancing over to the hand Tsunade had placed on his shoulder, Naruto looked up from where he sat to see a smile on her face. Smiling back, he felt the energy return to him as he remembered what all he fought for when facing Ukiah Obit years ago.

Moving her hand to Naruto's head, Tsunade 'gently' (though obviously Naruto did not consider it so) patted him, causing Naruto to groan in pain.

"What the hell was that for?!" Naruto yelled back in annoyance, his head throbbing from the sudden impact.

Using Naruto's shoulder as a crutch, Tsunade leaned out the window and placed her head beside his. "That, _baka_, was for stalling on telling me why it took you so long getting back from _Kumo_." Pointing to the small fox with her other hand, she tightened her grasp on Naruto. "I take it that fox passed out by your side has something to do with it."

"Heh heh. Yeah, about him..." Naruto trailed off as he thought up the best way to handle the situation. "Let's go inside and talk this over a bottle of sake and I'll explain what happen while I was returning home from my mission…"

Raising an eyebrow, Tsunade let go of his shoulder, crossing her arms. Casting down a disappointing look at Naruto, her face showed her slight annoyance as well as a bit of concern. It was one look Naruto knew all too well from his adopted grandmother. She knew Naruto only drank sake when something was troubling him and Tsunade had a feeling what she was about to hear would explain her uneasy feeling.

"That bad, huh?"

"Well that depends on how you look at the situation." He muttered in reply.

"Well then you better get your ass inside and explain it to me." Tsunade said almost lovingly, however she still had an irritated look to herself that made a chill run up Naruto's back.

Scooping up Tomokaiji into his arms, Naruto got up from the roof top and looked an irritated Tsunade in the eye. Grinning sheepishly, he nervously scratched the fox under his chin and made his way through the window. Slowly waking Tomokaiji from his sleep, Naruto managed to find his way to the couch in the Hokage's office to take a seat.

In the meantime, Tsunade made her way back to her desk to grab the bottle of sake, along with her saucer and an extra she always kept on hand. She looked over to see Naruto roughhousing with the fox in his arms and grinned at his childish antics. Taking her time she strolled over and took a seat next to the person to who she had always felt to be her grandson. Pouring the rice wine into the cups she took hers into her hand and handed the other to Naruto.

"So Naruto, care to explain to me how you came about finding a three-tailed fox on your journey back home?" The grin she held for a moment told Naruto she was somewhat amused, but the sly smile was replaced quickly by pursed lips as she narrowed her eyes at the fox. "I want the whole truth, so spit it out!" she commanded as her face softened.

Naruto once more grinned ruefully at Tsunade as he swirled the fluid in his glass nervously. Taking in a good amount of the liquid in one shot, he began to tell her what had happened. Everything from him chasing away the wolves, to the journey back with the young fox. He explained to her how the Kyuubi had come up with the idea on the fact she believed it would help him in the upcoming war. How her idea she explained to him was to split apart of her life force and imbed it into the young kits own body, knowing it might kill the infant creature in the end. He went on and told Tsunade about the incident at the tea shop and how he was still puzzled how the old women got infused by the Kyuubi's chakra. At last, he finished the story of his return trip with everything that went on earlier in the night at Ichiraku's. As he poured himself another glass of sake he grew rather scared of the silent _Sannin_ beside him. Tsunade hadn't spoken a word during Naruto's tale and now with Tomokaiji curled in her lap; she seemed to be reflecting on everything that was just told to her. Scrunching up the fur on his neck, Tsunade kept massaging her fingers into the kit as she brought her attention back onto Naruto.

"Sometimes I wish you would really think things through, _baka_," Tsunade finally said as she shook her head. "At times, you _still_ let your emotions get the better of you. You of all people, Naruto, should know how sinister that fox's essence is!" Her tone of voice showed just how disappointed the _Godaime Hokage_ was, but the look on her face made Naruto ashamed. "Naruto, did you take into account what might happen when this small fox taps into the chakra it gained alongside of the Kyuubi's spirit?" Looking him dead in the eye, she spoke again with the authority of a _Kage_. "Did you ever think when that time comes, if he'd still be our friend, or will he have become our foe?"

Naruto's eyes went wide with astonishment. '_How could I have been so stupid?'_ echoed throughout his head as he slowly returned to looking at the fox sitting in Tsunade's lap. He knew the _Kyuubi_ had good reasoning for it, he just had that gut feeling telling him that she was right with the threat of the old world coming back. Naruto turned away and lowered his head in shame as he reflected upon his actions. He saw what happened to Mochiyaback at the tea shop, and now he had brought that treat into the village; he was now endangering his friends with having Tomokaiji around. However he saw with his own eye's how comfortable the kit had become around Ayame and knew the fox might have potential. There was still the matter of finding out what happened to Mochiya, but he knew he could find the answer if he only looked hard enough. Rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment, he finally spoke to Tsunade in a hoarse voice.

"When I acted, I only thought of the future, fighting against unhappy demons and spirits who believe this world to be rightfully theirs. However I do admit, I didn't think of the ramifications of making, what pretty much looks like, a mini _Kyuubi_." Reaching over, he scratched at one of Tomokaiji's back legs. "However, after traveling home with this fox, along with the events at both shops, I feel like I can train this kit to be a positive reinforcement for Konoha."

Sighing before downing the last of her cup, Tsunade contemplated on her next action before speaking. "We will wait before we decide that. I want you to take him to Inuzuka Hana tomorrow for further testing. Until it is deemed that he is not a threat to this village, I want him to remain contained at your apartment. Do I make myself clear?"

"_Hai, Hokage-sama_."

Standing, he took Tomokaiji up into his arms and placed him on his left shoulder. Grabbing a piece of paper from his front pocket, he sent chakra into it, forming a seal. Handing it over to Tsunade, he told her, "When Hana-san is ready to see me, just have her pulse some chakra into this and I'll teleport to her location."

Taking the paper, Tsunade admired how easy _Fuuinjutsu_ had become to Naruto as she put the seal away in her desk. Looking back, she rather liked how the fox slinked around Naruto's neck; she couldn't help but smile inwardly knowing he would take good care of the small creature. "I'll send for you once I receive my report from Inuzuka Hana."

"Fine by me," He said casually as he lifted one hand in parting. "I could use the rest."

Grinning, Tsunade had one final thing to tell her grandson before he vanished. "Naruto, you really should shave off that ridiculous goatee before seeing Sakura; it really doesn't suit you." Laughing lightly, she watched Naruto's back stiffen before the two dissolved in a flash, leaving the only surviving _Sannin_ alone in her office.

'_We will just have to wait and see what becomes of this new situation. I just don't want too much on our plates with the fact Masuki is still running around unchecked.' _Standing, the Hokage ventured towards her door where she turned off the light and left her office. Closing the door behind her, she placed a hand on its center and released the needed amount of chakra, sealing the room from anyone other than her. Turning to go home, she dragged her tired body down the hall; every part of her knew the next day of paperwork was all too near, and all she wanted, was to be as far away from her office as she could get.

**~~~XX~~~~~XXX~~~~~XX~~~**

Returning to a dark room, Naruto made his way through his apartment until he reached the light switch. Flipping the lights, Tomokaiji leapt off of Naruto and began to investigate his new surroundings. Naruto's new apartment was three times as large as his old one bedroom flat from his time at the academy; or at least it was in his opinion. He kept it modest; in his sitting room, he had a small almond brown couch with a matching chair. In the center sat a knee high square table with drawers on all side.

On the opposite wall from the couch, Naruto had a book case full of scrolls, hardcovers, and even a few loose papers. On one shelf though, was a picture of him and Jiraiya during his training trip. It was the only picture Naruto had of the old pervert, and he would sometimes stand in front of the shelving, and think back to the times he and his _sensei _had spent together.

Ambling around the bar top counter, Naruto walked into his kitchen and flipped on the small light, and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard. Walking over to the refrigerator, he opened up the ice box, and grabbed the tray of ice, followed by seeing what he might have left inside that's edible. Slouching, he pouted when he saw how empty his fridge really was. Grabbing the carton of milk, he about turned green when he whiffed its contents; turning, he quickly tossed the milk into the sink, washing the rotten liquid down the drain.

"I guess I need to go shopping tomorrow."

Scrunching his face from the sight, he tried to ease his stomach, so he directed his attention to Tomokaiji in his living room. The kit was sitting in front of the glass doors to his small patio, looking out onto the night time scene of the village.

"I can't really do that though, Tsunade-sama said to keep him inside." Palming his forehead, he began to gripe to himself. "This is going to be harder than I thought…"

Dragging his hand down his face, he stared off blankly as he devised a plan. "It will just have to wait until after we see Hana-_san _tomorrow. The last thing I really want is for him to run off in the business district…"

Loading his glass full of ice, he placed it under the faucet, filling it with cold tap water. Downing it quickly, he filled it once more before leaving for his bedroom. Stripping off his clothes immediately and tossing them into a pile, he entered his bathroom in his boxers. Flipping the switch, he walked over to his shower and turned it on high, before leaving through the second door and rounding into the small hallway just outside his bedroom.

There, he poked his head out, looking for any indication of the kit. Not seeing him by the glass door, he rounded his counter once more, and looked to see if he may have been at the front door instead. Yet, there was no small fox for him to see anywhere. Returning to his room he had come to find Tomokaiji comfortably spread out across his pillows.

"What!" Naruto yelled while throwing his arms out. "Those are _my_ pillows!" Jamming his thumb into his chest, he gritted his teeth. "And they're on _my_ bed!"

Yawning, Tomokaiji simply rolled over, completely ignoring Naruto's shouting. This, however, did not go over well for the blond. Fuming as he stomped towards his dresser, he pulled out his sleep wear, and made way for the shower, only to stop in front of the door frame. Speaking softly, his voice was still demanding, catching Tomokaiji ear to heed his warning.

"When I get out of the shower, you have better be off my pillows, and only be lying at the foot of my bed." Closing the door behind him, Naruto didn't notice Tomokaiji slinking off to the edge like he was told.

Holding his head under the rushing waters of his shower head, he let himself go in the surrounding warmth the steam provided. Naruto relaxed his shoulders, sighing in relief; it felt good to take a warm shower again after the long walk home. The complications with his new pet hadn't helped any, only causing him to stress out and become tense. The water felt as good as it ever could as it ran down his back.

Sitting there for what felt like hours, he looked over to see his razor and a bar of soap. Chuckling, he remembered what Tsunade had told him. Grabbing the razor, he lathered his face, and proceeded to shave off his poor attempt of a goatee. Finishing up his wash, Naruto cut the water and reached for a towel.

Stepping out as he finished drying himself off, he began to put on his clean clothes. Once dressed, he opened the door, and was relieved to see Tomokaiji sound asleep at the foot of his bed. Walking over, he pulled back the covers and jumped into bed, slightly waking said fox. Sleep wanting to claim them both, he turned off the light beside him, and the two slowly drifted off into sleep together. Tomorrow was another day, and it would be here soon enough…

_**A/N: **__Well I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter. A lot more has happened in this little world of mine. I hope the small bits of information that was given about Masuki caught your interest. I have a lot planned for him and the next chapter you'll really get a feel on how evil and vile of a man he really I; or will you? You will just have to continue reading this story to find out. I'd like to say thank you to the people who keep reading this story with every update._ _**Grandshadowseal**__ and __**DarkNamikaze**__, thank you for the continued reviews and support. Until next time, please review, and let me know if there is anything I need to edit. I do my best to check everything but there might always be something I miss…_

_**Tomokaiji: **__I got this name one night by combining the Romaji words for __Mystery Case & Companion. __I wouldn't say it is the exact words; I cheated and cropped some of the letters off, but I think the name fits for the story. _


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